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Plan to have Bt cotton commercialised in Kenya has hit the home stretch, according to Agriculture PS Hamadi Boga.

“The final decision now rests with the Cabinet. We have come from far. Let us be patient,” he told Business Hub   on the sidelines of a ceremony to hand over Sh460 million eight local-based small-scale enterprises by AgriFi.

 The programme, funded by the EU and SlovakAid, will see the eight companies reach 50,000 smallholder farmers and create 3,800 jobs.

He said the delay in commercialising Bt cotton has not been deliberate as opponents of biotechnology would wish Kenyans to believe.

The PS said the science elicits heated debate that required the process to be subjected to a detailed engagement with multi-stakeholders as in the case of any new technology.

Country imports

The head of Fibre Crops directorate, Naomi Kamau said Kenya requires a total of 120,000 bales of lint per year, meaning the country imports more than half of the required quantities to keep factories running.

Adoption of Bt cotton is expected to lower the cost of production by 40 per cent. Bt cotton withstands pests and diseases and is of high quality. 

The PS said the science elicits heated debate that required the process to be subjected to a detailed engagement with multi-stakeholders like is in the case of any new technology.

The head of Fiber Crops directorate, Naomi Kamau said Kenya requires a total of 120,000 bales of lint per year.