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Kenya's food security status has improved this year

Xinhua, April 27, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Kenyan food security status has improved this year thanks to adequate rainfall in the breadbaskets alongside provision of subsidized seeds and fertilizers to smallholders, senior officials said on Tuesday

Willy Bett, the Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture said Kenya will remain food secure for the better part of this year given the anticipated bumper harvest in the breadbaskets of north rift, central and western regions.

"Kenya is food secure and we expect a bumper harvest of staples like maize in the coming months. The rains have been adequate in high producing areas and the government has ensured farmers have access to cheaper inputs like fertilizers and seeds," Bett said in Nairobi during the announcement of the 2016 edition of freedom from hunger walk to take place in late May.

During the event, State agencies, private companies and charities will raise 50,000 U.S. dollars to support projects that advance food security in the country.

The Kenyan government has put solid measures in place to shield the country from a food crisis in the face of climate change impacts and volatility in global commodities market.

Bett said the government has mobilized additional resources to cater for the unforeseen food deficit.

"Our interventions have ensured the price of maize is stable while erratic weather patterns will have minimal disruption on food production as we hasten adoption of irrigated farming," Bett told reporters.

He refuted media reports that mega irrigation projects have stalled due to financial hiccups.

Kenya has prioritized adoption of new agricultural technologies and innovations to enhance food production in the light of diminishing arable land, population growth and climate change.

Bett said regulatory agencies have intensified scrutiny on genetic engineering to ensure its introduction does not cause harm to humans and the ecosystems.

"Let me state that Kenya remains GMO free but discussions are ongoing to weigh their benefits and risks," said Bett. Enditem