FROM THE FILES: BT COTTON'S PROMISE TO THE KENYAN ECONOMY.
With the government’s approval of BT cotton seed, as from March 2020 it is all systems go for cotton farmers. With BT comes the hope of a new j dawn for cotton growing in Kenya. A country that has seen far much better days as far as cotton farming is concerned. What exactly is BT bringing to the table? Back in the ‘70’s Kenya was a major East African producer of seed cotton for both local and export consumption. However, this declined due to unstable market prices, poor agronomic policies and most importantly, high cost of production for farmers. Currently, Kenya produces an average of 25,000 bales against a demand of 200,000 bales and the deficit covered by importation from countries such as Uganda and Tanzania. This is utterly disappointing from a country where approximately 350,000 Hectares is arable for cotton growing and boasts a record high production (in 1995) of 38,000 metric tonnes. However all hope is not lost. If the government’s promise is anything to go b...