The government is planning to raise the production of rice locally through the construction of a large irrigation canal in Mutithi, Mwea Constituency, where the project is expected to be completed by August this year.
The KSh1 billion project, through which the National Irrigation Authority (NIA) is implementing the operations, is aimed at increasing the area under irrigation in Mutithi and also enhancing the overall capacity of the Mwea Irrigation Scheme. The newly built canal will pipe in about 10, 000 acres for rice cultivation, thus, a significant increase in the national rice output is anticipated.
Mr. Peter Chege, Mwea Irrigation Scheme Chairman, pointed out that the expansion is going to significantly contribute to reducing the rice deficit in Kenya that is at about 700, 000 metric tonnes, a situation which has resulted in the government heavily depending on imports to meet domestic demand.
Since water scarcity in the scheme has been a challenge for a long time, the project will mainly utilize water from the Thiba Dam. The dam provides a reliable and constant supply not only for the primary rice crop but also for the ratoon, thus, the production is expected to be stabilised and losses resulting from inadequate irrigation significantly minimised.
Furthermore, Chege indicated that the canal alongside the complementary works such as the rehabilitation of the K3 will not only increase rice production but will also be a major step towards food security and hence lead to better life standards of farmers in Kirinyaga County.
Mwea Irrigation Scheme is the largest rice production area in Kenya, and this new funding basically reflects the governments overall plan to increase the countrys food production at the local level, reduce the farm produce import dependency and help farmers through better irrigation infrastructure.