Kenya farmers replant cotton amid price improvements
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In Kitui County, Kenya, farmers are again preparing to grow cotton after years of declining production, spurred by rising prices from KSh54 to KSh72 per kilogramme.
For a long time, low prices and issues with local ginneries discouraged farmers, but the Kitui Rural Farmers Cooperative, with approximately 70 members, is seeing renewed interest.
The cooperative supports farmers through training on best practices, access to knapsack sprayers, and a savings program offering loans to cover input costs during the lengthy growing season, five to six months, of cotton. Farmers in the semi-arid region face consistent challenges with unreliable rainfall and accessing quality inputs like seeds and pesticides on time. To mitigate risk, many intercrop cotton with green grams, which mature more quickly and provide income while waiting for the cotton harvest.
The cooperative also recognizes a need to attract younger farmers, as most current members are over 50, and advocates for government incentives to encourage youth participation in cotton farming. Kenya’s cotton production has recently increased, rising from 1,300 tonnes in 2021 to 8,800 tonnes, but still satisfies less than 15% of the country’s manufacturing needs, requiring significant imports from neighboring Tanzania and Uganda.
Efforts are underway to support local production as part of the African Continental Free Trade Area, with the goal of processing more cotton within Africa.
