The news comes as Kenyans grapple with high maize flour prizes, with a two-kilogramme packet going for Sh120.The Sh14 billion project that is being carried out by an Israeli firm, Green Arava, is part of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s plan to enhance food security in the country.

 

The Government looks forward to harvesting 20,000 bags of maize from a 500-acre model farm within the project. Currently, there are 375,000 acres of land under irrigation, and the Government plans to increase this to one million in the next five years.

 

Water and Irrigation Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa hailed the project as successful, and said that the country has taken the right path to food security.

 

“This project was a model and we wanted to see if it would work. And from the first results, we have proved that it is possible to get bumper harvests from arid and semi-arid areas,” said Mr Wamalwa while addressing an Israel-Kenya Agro-business forum in Nairobi.

 

Wamalwa claimed that through the advanced farming technology from Israel, Kenya will soon achieve food security and even produce enough for export.

 

“We should stop depending on inadequate and unreliable rainfall, which cannot help our farms yield more to satisfy our food needs. Hence the need to expand irrigation in order to ensure food security, creation of wealth and employment opportunities,” said Wamalwa.

 

Kenya currently faces an annual deficit of 10 million bags of maize, which forces the country to import. Through Israel’s support, Kenya is expecting to produce 50 million bags of maize by 2020 when the Galana-Kulalu project will be fully operational.

 

“The resumption of direct flights between Tel Aviv and Nairobi will improve our trade. Irrigation will also boost agriculture and thus improve our foreign exchange margin,” said Wamalwa.

Source : in2eastafrica.net