Kenya to develop 1m hectare farmland for food crop production – Deputy President

Addressing over 80 delegates from 70 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries that assembled in Nairobi, Kenya, to discuss ways of financing agricultural value chain for a revolutionised agriculture in the continent, he said unless practical ways of assisting smallholder farmers to adopt the use of modern technology and mechanised farming are adopted by African countries, […]

Addressing over 80 delegates from 70 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries that assembled in Nairobi, Kenya, to discuss ways of financing agricultural value chain for a revolutionised agriculture in the continent, he said unless practical ways of assisting smallholder farmers to adopt the use of modern technology and mechanised farming are adopted by African countries, the continent will continue to lag behind in food and cash crops production.
Ruto who was Kenya’s Minister for Agriculture for several years before becoming deputy president, told delegates at the conference :“First, I hope by the end of this meeting we would have discussed and concluded on the model of agriculture that we want to use that will carry us forward.
“I have attended many conferences and many meetings and we have been discussing about smallholder agriculture, that this is what is going to make us food sufficient;that this is what will improve our agricultural production and this is what we need to work on. I am not sure, ladies and gentlemen, whether that model of agriculture is going to put enough food on our table.
“I hope I am wrong. Let me give you anexample, today in Kenya, a smallholder farmer produces 15 to 18 bags of 90 kilogrammes of maize in an acre. A farmer using irrigation, on the other hand, will produce between 80 and 90 bags of maize from the same acre. In other words, a smallholder farmer will produce one fifth (1/5) of what a commercial farmer, under irrigation, could produce. The statistics therefore is easy to understand. It does not require a lot of calculation. 18 bags and 80 bags is a great difference,” he said.
Worried by the fact that the smallholder Kenyan farmer who cannot embark of irrigation farming because he does not have the resources to buy water pumping machine and other things needed for irrigation is harvesting low yield from rain fed farming compared to irrigation farmers,the deputy president said,“that is why we have chosen as policy makers in Kenya that beginning this year, we are progressively transiting by bringing more land under irrigation for food production.
“In fact, in our blueprint, we want to bring one million hectares that we wouldwork with the private sector to produce and expand our food production. We believe that in fiveto seven years, we should be able to export five million tons of grains from Kenya. The process has already started. In one of the biggest ranches that we have, we will take half of that facility and use modern technology and bring the private sector on board and set up one to 10 hectares for the farmers.
“We will work with the private sector entrepreneurs that can do 10,000; 20,000 and 50,000 hectares and produce in a manner that we tap into the economies available. Use modern technology, use mechanisation and get the tractors, the combine harvesters so that we can actually practice the kind of agriculture that can get Africa out of hunger and poverty.
“That in my opinion is the agriculture we would like to talk about. The smallholder that we have been discussing for years, I am not sure how we are going to help them out. We really have to think very well,” he said.
Ruto also expressed concern over the slow pace with which Africans accept and adopt the use of modern technology for enhancement of agricultural production, saying there are some farming communities that still believe that fertilizer kills the farmland and reduces yield.
“How can, in this continent with the kind of knowledge that we have, with a reservoir of friends that we have, there still be a lot of mystery, superstition and wrong beliefs about technology in our continent.
“Let me give you an example, I went somewhere and some farmers came to me and told me, ‘Minister, how can you send fertilizer to us that will destroy our crops? We have been told that fertilizer destroys crop. We do not want to use fertilizer in our area. Please, keep it away from us.’
“They have a bit of information that is distorted. When you go somewhere you will meet even knowledgeable people that will tell you they do not want bio-technology because it will make you grow two heads. How do we get our farmers in Africa to use the benefit of science, specifically bio-technology to enhance our food production to guard against hunger and poverty?” he said.
The deputy president also urged the meeting to find realistic means of financing agriculture in the continent,saying he has been part of ongoing discussions on agric financing in Kenya.Countries must source for means of getting loans for their farmers that attract reasonable and affordable interests” he also said.
“Last week, I met a gentleman who used to do road construction in Kenya.He told me that he has since discovered an easy way of making money. And this easy way of making money is that he goes and borrows money in Europe at two and a half percent interest. After all the processes, it amounts to 4 percent interest. He comes here and lends the same money to us at 15 percent. He doesn’t have to do anything. He has no risk and is less difficult than constructing a road.
“So, as a Minister for Finance and as a Governor of Central Bank how do you allow millions of Africans to work for a few people? I mean, somebody must do the right thing. It means somebody is not doing what he is supposed to do.
“How comes that it is possible for someone to go and borrow at two and a half percent and come and give us at 15 percent and you have a whole Governor of Central Bank and Minister for Finance in the country, or are they part of the conspiracy?” Ruto asked.