Kenya launches new seed varieties

Kenya's Ministry of Agriculture has launched new drought and disease resistant seed varieties that mature faster.

The high yielding maize, sugarcane and wheat seeds will enhance the country’s food security, said Agriculture minister Kipruto Kirwa when he unveiled the seeds developed by the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute.

The seeds will be marketed by 53 seed companies registered in Kenya, among them the Kenya Seed Company and Western Seed company.

Kirwa said the country had adequate seeds and urged farmers to buy the new varieties which he said would use limited moisture in the soil and could be planted in dry areas. He said the new seeds yielded more by resisting diseases. “The seeds have undergone tests and are ready for use by the public. Technology keeps changing. These new seeds are far much better than the ones farmers used last year and we are sure to have a good strategic reserve if farmers used them,” he said.

The minister said the seeds would guarantee Kenya’s foods security and urged seed distributors to move with speed and make them available to farmers at reasonable costs, adding that exorbitant seed prices prevented farmers from using them.

Kenya will also market the seeds to farmers in Uganda, Tanzania, Sudan and the DR Congo.

The Government also unveiled plans to strengthen the country’s seed industry to attract investment from the private sector.

He said the country had 36 million bags of maize in stock compared to 26 million bags stored last year. “Next year the country will store up to 38 million bags as we move towards food sufficiency. If farmers use the new seeds we will achieve good yields,” said the minister.

Kirwa asked farmers to use the new seed variety if the country is to improve its strategic food reserve. But he also asked seed vendors to lower prices. “Many small scale farmers still rely on own traditional seeds because of high costs. Distributors also have limited investment retail network. They must make the seeds available to farmers at a good price,” he said.

He indicated that he will be moving to amend the seed and plants varieties Act so as to enforce certification and ensure seed distributed in the country conformed to required standards. He said the Government would harmonies seed laws and regulations in the region so that seed produced outside the country could be accepted by local farmers. The minister said it was regrettable that about 80 per cent of the total seed planted in Kenya originated from the informal sector.

“The Government intends to intervene in the seed industry so as to help in the development of appropriate seed varieties and ensure that farmers are consulted in the seed development process,” he said.

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