Kenya moves to slash rice imports with certified seed production

Kenya is implementing measures to cut rice imports with the development of sustainable certified seed production system. The country's research body-Kenya Agricultural Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO) is pioneering the efforts in partnership with a Korean agency, which will ensure Kenya, which ships in up to 75 percent of the total rice requirement annually, cuts reliance on imports. In a five-year collaboration with the Korea Partnership for Innovative Agriculture (KOPIA), the project will focus on the production of early-generation seed, the multiplication of elite varieties, and distribution to farmers. The project will produce 5.8 tonnes of early-generation seed and 1,000 tonnes of certified Generation 1 seeds of high-yielding, climate-resilient varieties. Additionally, it will train 75 local technical experts, 10 experts in South Korea, and 210 farmers in quality rice seed production. Speaking at the project launch in Mwea, KALRO Director General Eliud Kireger said ...