On 23 February, at the State House in Nairobi, President William Ruto, insisted that Kenya should be exporting rather than importing food during a consultative meeting with Governors, Ministry of Investments, Trade and Industry and Development Partners
He emphasised that the country had the potential to feed itself and sell the surplus to other countries, further stating that it was time that bold, ambitious and progressive policy decisions were pursued to urge the country to produce more.
“We must turn agriculture into a commercial economic activity,” said Ruto, explaining that the government was consolidating main trading blocs in Africa to provide value to farmers. “We should allow our farmers to earn more from their sweat by exploiting new and lucrative markets for them."
The meeting focused on the promotion of trade, strengthening of market linkages, and the establishment of aggregation centres and industrial parks in counties.
“We have agreed to work together to promote investment and trade so as to stimulate our country’s economic growth,” said Ruto, highlighting that land in regions such as Turkana, Mandera, Wajir, among other arid areas should not be lying idle.
“Commercial irrigation will turn these regions into our food baskets. Water harvesting will, therefore, form the main part of our country’s transformation plans.”
