The government has launched an ambitious plan to more than double Kenya’s bixa production in a move aimed at creating thousands of jobs, increasing farmers’ incomes and positioning the country as a leading global supplier of the high-value crop.
Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said the strategy will focus on expanding the number of farmers growing bixa while ensuring the country’s only processing plant operates at its full annual capacity of 3,000 tonnes.
Speaking during a visit to Kenya Bixa Limited in Kwale County, Kagwe said the government, working through the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) and coastal county governments, will roll out certified seedlings, strengthen extension services, promote farmer cooperatives and improve access to affordable financing to boost production.
Kenya already has the processing infrastructure, export markets and internationally certified manufacturing standards needed to compete in the global market, the Cabinet Secretary noted, adding that the biggest challenge is increasing production at the farm level.
“We already have the factory and the market. What we now need is more farmers producing enough bixa to meet demand,” Kagwe said.
The processing plant currently handles between 1,000 and 1,400 tonnes of raw bixa annually despite having the capacity to process up to 3,000 tonnes, meaning it is operating at less than half of its potential.
The factory sources its raw materials from between 7,000 and 10,000 contracted smallholder farmers across Kwale, Kilifi and Lamu counties.
Kagwe said the government intends to significantly increase the number of growers through the distribution of certified seedlings by AFA. As a scheduled crop, bixa falls under the authority’s regulatory framework, allowing it to oversee quality planting materials, farmer support programmes and expansion of acreage.
“This is not just about increasing production. It is about bringing more farmers into a profitable value chain, creating more jobs and putting more money into rural households,” he said.
The planned expansion is expected to create employment opportunities beyond farming, with new jobs anticipated in seed multiplication, transport, aggregation, processing, logistics and export services.
Kenya Bixa Limited currently employs about 150 people directly while supporting hundreds more through contract farming, transport and other supply chains. Increasing production to match the factory’s installed capacity is expected to substantially boost employment across the Coast region.
For farmers, the crop presents an attractive income opportunity.
From the figures that were indicated during the tour, one acre can carry 160 bixa plants at the recommended spacing of five by five metres. A tree yields about 10 kilogrammes annually, which is 1,600 kilogrammes per acre.
With the current farm-gate price of Sh95 per kilogramme, the earning of one acre is around Sh152,000 annually from bixa.
As compared to other commercial crops, bixa can be grown with food crops such as maize, beans, pigeon peas, cassava, cowpeas, and citrus due to the wide spacing between the bixa plants.
Kagwe said the practice allows farmers to earn income from bixa while maintaining food production, making the crop particularly suitable for smallholder farmers.
“The most important thing is to put money into farmers’ pockets. That is my job,” he said.
To help farmers earn better returns, the Cabinet Secretary urged growers to form strong cooperatives that can improve collective marketing, strengthen bargaining power and make it easier to access affordable credit through the Agricultural Finance Corporation and other financial institutions.
AFA Acting Director General Calistus Kundu said the authority has been directed to establish a dedicated support structure for the bixa sub-sector to coordinate seed distribution, farmer registration, extension services and market development.
The government’s latest push signals renewed efforts to transform bixa into one of Kenya’s next major cash crops while unlocking the untapped potential of the Coast region’s agricultural economy.