Kenya on Track to Achieve Food and Nutrition Security, Says PS Agriculture
By Shadrack Nyakoe
Principal Secretary (PS) for the State Department of Agriculture, Dr. Kipronoh Ronoh, has affirmed that Kenya is making significant progress toward ensuring food and nutrition security through various government initiatives, supported by favorable weather conditions.
Ronoh highlighted that the fertilizer subsidy program has led to a 43% increase in maize production, reducing the number of food-insecure Kenyans from 1.9 million to 1 million in 2024.
“Despite past challenges like high input costs, climate change, droughts, and limited access to financial services, we have made significant strides,” Ronoh stated during a briefing at Kilimo House, Nairobi.
Kenya’s maize production surged from 45 million 90kg bags last year to 70 million 90kg bags in 2024, resulting in lower maize prices (KES 3,200 per 90kg bag) and a reduction in flour prices from KES 250 in 2022 to KES 120 in 2024.
The PS also emphasized the ministry’s commitment to smallholder farmers, promoting agricultural transformation through innovations and the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).
Over 6.45 million farmers are now enrolled in a digital registration platform for accessing subsidized inputs, up from 1.3 million in 2022.
Additionally, the operationalization of the National Food Reserve and the Warehouse Receipt System (WRS) aims to enhance food security by mitigating post-harvest losses and stabilizing market prices.
Under the BETA plan, key value chains including tea, coffee, cotton, and edible oils have been prioritized. Tea exports grew by 16% in 2023, earning KES 180.57 billion, while edible oil projects aim to reduce imports by 50% by 2027. Coffee reforms target increased productivity, and cotton acreage has expanded with support from county governments.
Ronoh also mentioned plans to establish industrial parks across all 47 counties to support agricultural processing and storage, helping farmers secure better prices and minimize losses.
