Francis Wambugu Irungu The government has launched a major market intervention to clear over 60,000 bags of Mwea rice, with the Kenya National Trading Corporation (KNTC) committing to purchase locally produced rice in a bid to ease storage constraints, improve farmers’ cash flow and strengthen the domestic rice value chain.
The exercise, run jointly by KNTC, the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) and farmers’ cooperatives led by the Mwea Rice Growers Multipurpose (MRGM) Cooperative Society, comes as farmers prepare for another harvest while thousands of bags from the previous season remain unsold in storage.
Speaking during an inspection tour in Mwea, AFA Acting Director General Calistus Kundu said the government remains committed to giving Kenyan farmers a reliable market for their produce, stressing that supporting local production is key to gradually raising domestic rice output.
Leading the exercise, KNTC Managing Director Lucy Anangwe said the corporation has committed to buying all local rice currently held by the cooperatives, with deliveries set to run through mid-August before the rice is distributed to public institutions nationwide.
“We are here to assess the situation on the ground and reassure farmers that the Government remains committed to supporting the marketing of locally produced rice. KNTC is fully committed to mopping up the rice produced by farmers,” Anangwe said.
The MRGM Cooperative, representing over 80 per cent of rice farmers in the region, currently holds more than 30,000 bags in storage and expects another 25,000 during the ongoing third crop season, while self-help groups hold a further 15,000 bags bringing the total targeted under the programme to more than 70,000 bags.
To speed up deliveries, KNTC and the cooperatives have agreed on a schedule of at least two truckloads a day, while the milling plant will add a third processing shift, raising daily output to 56 tonnes of milled rice and creating additional jobs.
MRGM Chief Executive Officer Anthony Waweru said delayed marketing had affected farmer payments but expressed confidence the new arrangement would restore normal operations.
“We had expected to pay farmers earlier, but marketing challenges delayed the process. With KNTC now taking up the rice, we expect to clear the current stock within a month and begin paying farmers by July 20,” Waweru said.
Officials said the intervention is aimed at strengthening Kenya’s rice value chain and improving farmer returns, while supporting broader efforts to meet national rice demand through both increased local production and strategic imports.
