NAIROBI, Kenya Sep 18 – Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has pledged Sh1 billion to the Kenya National Trading Corporation (KNTC) to purchase locally produced rice, saying the government will prioritise domestic supplies before allowing imports.

📻 Breaking It Down

Kindiki said the government would ensure rice farmers in Mwea, Kirinyaga County, and other rice-growing regions have their produce bought before foreign rice is allowed into the country.

“We will not import rice until we offtake all the rice grown in Mwea, in Kirinyaga County and all the rice-growing areas. We will not allow importation of rice before we buy all the rice in the country,” he said.

The Deputy President spoke on Friday while inspecting development projects in Mwea Constituency, where he said the planned allocation would enable KNTC to mop up locally produced rice when harvesting peaks later in the year.

📌 What You Need to Know

“The Government will ensure all rice produced by our farmers at the Mwea Irrigation Scheme will be bought by the Kenya National Trading Corporation (KNTC) to boost national food reserves, before rice is imported into the country,” Kindiki said.

KNTC has previously been designated as an anchor agency for purchasing excess locally produced rice from Mwea and the Kano Plains to enhance market access and support food security.

The Deputy President said the government was also committed to sustaining favourable prices for farmers producing coffee, milk, tea and other agricultural commodities.

During his visit to Mwea, Kindiki inspected the ongoing tarmacking of the Kangirici-Karira Hospital-Ngurubani Road, which is nearing completion.

The road forms part of a 65-kilometre transport corridor serving Kirinyaga Central, Ndia and Mwea constituencies.

Kindiki said Kirinyaga County had been allocated Sh37 billion for the construction of 500 kilometres of roads at various stages of implementation.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya