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World Bank will extend a Sh50 billion concessional loan to Kenya to finance various food crops to boost food security and improve livelihoods of rural communities in 43 counties.

Agriculture Principal Secretary Kello Harsama yesterday said that the agreements on the funds have been concluded and the same will finance two major projects – the national food systems and national value addition development programme between 2023 and 2027 period.

The money to be shared with the county government will support promotion of mostly the orphans’ crops in the country.

He said the projects are a continuation of two others the World Bank has been financing between 2017 and 2022 on food security and nutrition. Between the 2017-2022 period the bank funded Kenya Climate Smart Agriculture Project (KCSAP) and the National Agricultural and Rural Inclusive Growth Project (NARIGP).

“The bank after concluding the KCSAP and NARIGP projects in 2022, entered into new negotiations with the Kenya Kwanza government to escalate the schemes in new forms in order to prompt high productivity in the sector,” said Harsama.

He made the remarks during the curtain raiser event for the India-Africa International Millet Conference (I-AIMC) at a Nairobi hotel. KCSAP has been transformed into a national food system and NARIGP will now be a national value addition development programme.

Harsama stated that millet, cotton, sorghum, edible oils, coffee, potatoes and rice tops as the agriculture sub-sectors that will benefit from the World Bank finance.
“The project involves provisions of certified and clean seeds, undertaking capacity building to the farmers and addressing the escalating effects of climate change,” he added.

Substantial resources under the two programmes will be expended to promote millet farming in the country as a climate smart crop. Kenya produces 63,000 tonnes of millet compared to 18 million tonnes produced in India annually.

Kenya has the potential to produce over 200,000 tonnes annually, especially if farmers in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) are fully supported with new information and certified seeds.

Millet, a drought tolerant crop, will be promoted in ASALs among other growing counties. Millet, Harsama stated, will be used among cassava, vegetables and sorghum to blend white maize flour in order to guarantee high nutrition to Kenyans.

The India High Commissioner to Kenya Namgya Khampa said that her country is planning a high level millet conference in Kenya later next month targeting all African countries that grow millet.