The Kenyan Government’s State Department for Crop Development is set to invest more than Kshs 42.0 million in bolstering the cultivation of edible oil crops in the Coastal regions, including Mombasa, Kilifi, Taita Taveta, Tana River, and Kwale counties.
Phillip Kello Harsama, the Principal Secretary of the State Department for Crop Development, revealed the government’s strategy, which involves supplying 720 Metric Tonnes of certified sunflower seeds through e-voucher input subsidies. Additionally, 200 Metric Tonnes of diverse canola seeds, sunflower, and soya, alongside 10,000 coconut seedlings, will be provided. The initiative also includes disbursing Kshs 42.0 million in loans to 840 farmers across Kwale, Mombasa, Taita Taveta, Tana River, and Kilifi Counties under the National Edible Oil Crops Project.
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The Kenyan Government has allocated Kshs 134.0 million to the Edible Oil Crops Promotion Project in the fiscal year 2023/24. This initiative seeks to involve county governments in utilizing the fund to acquire planting materials and enhance local farmers’ capabilities in producing edible oil crops. Despite Kenya’s annual edible oil consumption of over 900,000 metric tonnes, a mere 80,000 metric tonnes are sourced domestically.
This reliance on imports to cover up the huge deficit in supply, which accounts for more than 90.0 per cent of the country’s vegetable oils, costs around Kshs 100.0 billion. This financial burden persists despite Kenya’s inherent capacity to produce these oils domestically.
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