KENYA – Mwea Member of Parliament, Mary Maingi, has called on the government to waive debts totalling KES 99 million (US$688,000) owed by rice farmers in her constituency.
The Mwea Irrigation Scheme, established in 1954, currently supports 18,070 farmers and has over 30,000 acres under irrigation.
The Mwea Irrigation Scheme, located in Kirinyaga County, produces 80% of the rice consumed in Kenya, playing a crucial role in national food security.
During President William Ruto’s recent visit to the county to launch and commission various projects, MP Maingi emphasized that the debt burden is significantly affecting farmers’ earnings.
She urged the government to intervene and relieve rice farmers of their financial obligations, similar to the relief provided in other agricultural sectors.
“I hear people talking about coffee debts being waived. Rice farmers are farmers too, waive that bill,” Maingi appealed to President Ruto.
The financial burden comes at a time when the National Irrigation Authority had set an ambitious target, noting that the Mwea Scheme is set to hit record highs as farmers expect to harvest more than 160,000 metric tonnes, a 33% increase.
In February this year, Innocent Ariemba, the manager in Mwea, said the harvest will increase from last year’s 120,000 metric tonnes.
“Farmers will reap benefits from their farming due to ready markets as National Cereals and Produce Board and Kenya National Trading Corporation will be buying rice from them,” he said.
Ariemba added that the authority has taken several measures to ensure enough water flow into the farms and distilling water canals as they embark on preparations for the second season.
This is not the first time the government has addressed the region’s financial burdens of rice farmers
In 2020, the national government waived a KES 100 million debt owed by Kirinyaga rice farmers to the National Irrigation Board, which had resulted in water rationing within the scheme.
In addition to debt relief, MP Maingi also proposed the establishment of a rice fund that would provide affordable loans to rice farmers, akin to the Cherry Fund, which offers credit to coffee farmers at a 3% interest rate.
“I have been sent by my farmers and they say they want a rice fund so they can access subsidized credit just like coffee farmers,” she said.
In response, President Ruto assured the MP that plans are in place to allocate funds for waiving rice farmers’ debts and hinted at an upcoming visit to the constituency. “Relax… All the other things you have asked for, I’ll be coming to Mwea soon and I’ll do something,” Ruto said.
Maingi also urged the government to revive the Mwea Ginnery to support the growing number of cotton farmers, following the introduction of BT cotton, which is disease-resistant and matures quickly.
Earlier, Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro, who chairs the budget committee in the National Assembly, announced that KES 2 billion (US$13.9 million) has been set aside to waive coffee debts.
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