KENYA – Selu Limited has announced a significant investment of US$80 million (KES13 billion) in the Galana-Kulalu, a national food security project, over the next three years following a successful pilot phase last year.
Selu Limited is a Special Purpose Vehicle, a partnership consisting of various companies, including Campos, a farm management company with vast experience overseeing extensive farmland in Latin America with a climate similar to Kenya, and AgCo, a global leader in precision agriculture technology based in the United States.
The Galana project was handed in 2023 by Twiga Foods, which was among the first beneficiaries to secure the project after the government of Kenya opened up the multi-billion dollar irrigation scheme to private investors.
The company’s pilot phase saw record-breaking maize yields of up to 35, 90kg bags per acre, the highest in Galana Kulalu’s history and quadruple the national average. This success has spurred plans for further expansion.
The development of the Galana-Kulalu project is through a public-private partnership and is part of the government’s efforts to make Kenya food secure.
At the time of its inception in 2015, the Galana-Kulalu Food Security Project, situated within the one million-acre Galana Irrigation complex, was launched under the “Big 4” agenda, as part of the state’s drive to attain food security.
The project was initiated to help Kenya overcome its perennial shortage of maize, which is at 48 million bags annually and is the staple food in Kenya.
For Selu, this move aims to expand the company’s operations to over 20,000 acres within the Galana-Kulalu irrigation project.
Selu has revealed that it has concluded the initial development phase of 500 acres, which involved a feasibility assessment to evaluate the viability of large-scale commercial maize farming in the 1.75-million-acre government-owned ranch.
“The project has significant potential to impact Kenya’s food security, with the 20,000 acres of land set for commercialization, and with the high level of productivity to substantially boost Kenya’s annual maize production,” Mr Nicholas Ambanya, CEO, Selu Limited said.
The firm says the project implementation was undertaken in partnership with a consortium, consisting of LEAF Africa, Campo-Brazil and BrazAfric Group that provided expertise on large-scale tropical commercial farm management.
The firm said the investment would be channelled towards rolling out full irrigation, smart agriculture and introducing renewable energy solutions in the race towards achieving carbon-neutral food production.
“The Galana Kulalu Project will not only advance agriculture but also positively transform the social and environmental landscape of the surrounding communities,” the company stated.
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