Agency moves to revive cotton farming in Siaya and Busia

A government agency has initiated efforts to revive the ailing cotton farming in Siaya and Busia counties. 

Speaking on Friday during a visit to the counties, the National Biosafety Authority board members, led by Hussein Mohamed, pledged government's support to the farmers through provision of technical assistance. 

"The Authority has already approved the commercialization of Bt Cotton, which has been in cultivation since 2020 and no adverse effects have been noted or reported through the monitoring and surveillance system," he said. 

According to Mohamed, Bt Cotton is already being grown in counties of Homa Bay, Siaya, Busia, Baringo, Kisumu, Embu, Kwale, Meru, Kitui, Kirinyaga, Tharaka Nithi, Machakos, Makueni, Marakwet, Taita Taveta, among others.

Bt cotton is a genetically modified species by the insertion of one or more genes from a common soil bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis, according to University of Tennessee's Institute of Agriculture.  

Mohamed observed that the cotton sector has a great potential to contribute significantly to the the growth of the economy, urging farmers in the suitable regions to embrace the crop. 

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During the visit, farmers urged the government to provide more resources, including seeds and fertilizers, to improve yield.   

“We have farmers who are willing to adopt cotton farming but they do not have capacity due to limited resources,” said Zedekiah Adul, a cotton farmer at Madiany in Uyoma Siaya County. 

He said due to the adoption of the Bt Cotton production, harvests have increased from 700 kgs to 1400 kgs for an acre farm. 

The Authority’s Director of Technical Service Mr. Josphat Muchiri underscored the critical role being played by the agency in ensuring the safe development, transfer handling and use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

This, he said, is aimed at protecting human and animal health as well as the environment from possible adverse effects of GMOs.

“Confined field trials (CFT) are part of the GMO development phase that enable researchers to collect additional safety data that cannot be generated at the lab or greenhouse levels," said Muchiri. 

He said the trials are small scale, controlled and monitored field experiments that are vital for evaluating specific genetically engineered traits, agronomic performance, potential environmental impact, and safety of GMOs. 

NBA further announced plans to initiate awareness to help Kenyans "appreciate its mandate."

“As an Authority we are up to the task in regulating GMOs in Kenya,” said the entity's acting Chief Executive officer, Mr. Nehemiah Ngetich, noting that misinformation had led to poor uptake of the modern biotechnology.

It is also mandated to facilitate approvals of safe biotech crops, animal breeds that are resistant to pests and diseases leading to increased food production.