Relief For Mwea Rice Farmers As State Purchases 70,000 Bags

By Staff Writer

The Government has moved to rescue thousands of rice farmers from mounting financial pressure after launching a nationwide programme to purchase more than 70,000 bags of locally produced Mwea rice, easing storage congestion and unlocking delayed payments ahead of the next harvest.

The market intervention brings together the Kenya National Trading Corporation (KNTC), the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) and farmers’ cooperatives in an effort to clear rice stocks that have remained in stores for months due to slow market uptake.

The exercise comes as farmers prepare to harvest another crop while warehouses across Mwea remain filled with unsold rice from the previous season, delaying payments and straining cash flow for growers.

Speaking during an inspection tour in Mwea, AFA Acting Director General Calistus Kundu said the Government was committed to ensuring farmers had a reliable market for their produce as the country works to increase domestic rice production.

He said strengthening local rice marketing was critical to improving farmer incomes, reducing reliance on imports and supporting Kenya’s long-term food security agenda.

KNTC Managing Director Lucy Anangwe said the State corporation had committed to purchasing all locally produced rice currently held by the participating cooperatives, with deliveries expected to continue through mid-August.

“We are here to assess the situation on the ground and reassure farmers that the Government remains committed to supporting the marketing of locally produced rice. KNTC is fully committed to mopping up the rice produced by farmers,” Anangwe said.

The rice will be distributed to public institutions across the country, providing farmers with a ready market while supporting Government procurement of locally produced food.

The Mwea Rice Growers Multipurpose Cooperative Society, which represents more than 80 per cent of rice farmers in the region, currently has more than 30,000 bags in storage and expects another 25,000 bags from the ongoing third crop season. Self-help groups are holding more than 15,000 bags, bringing the total targeted under the programme to over 70,000 bags.

To speed up deliveries, KNTC and the cooperative have agreed to dispatch at least two truckloads of rice daily. The milling plant will also introduce a third processing shift, increasing daily output to 56 tonnes of milled rice.

The expanded operations are expected to create additional jobs while accelerating movement of rice from storage facilities and easing pressure on warehouses ahead of the next harvest.

Mwea Rice Growers Multipurpose Cooperative Society Chief Executive Officer Anthony Waweru said delayed marketing had affected the cooperative’s ability to pay farmers on time.

“We had expected to pay farmers earlier, but marketing challenges delayed the process. With KNTC now taking up the rice, we expect to clear the current stock within a month and begin paying farmers by July 20,” Waweru said.

Officials said the intervention is expected to strengthen Kenya’s domestic rice value chain by improving market access, increasing returns to farmers and encouraging higher local production.

Kenya produces only a fraction of its annual rice requirement and relies heavily on imports to bridge the deficit. The Government says supporting local producers through guaranteed markets remains central to its strategy of increasing domestic output and improving national food security.