By H, KNA
The government has declared the ongoing sugarcane farming in Bura Irrigation Scheme in Tana River County under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) a huge success.
The first seed cane by Tana River Sugar Company who leased 700 acres for trials of sugar cane seed is ready for harvesting signaling the country’s drive for sugar self-sufficiency.
The private sugar company established one centre pivot that covers 75 acres and planted cane seed for multiplication and expansion in June 2025.
The Bura Irrigation Scheme which has a gazette area of 176,000 acres was first established in 1978 as an ambitious World Bank backed project managed by the National Irrigation Authority (NIA).
The project is a gravity-fed irrigation scheme for agriculture including potential sugar care and rice cultivation with plans for mechanized farming.
The project aims to expand the acreage under sugarcane and rice cultivation by providing consistent water access for improved, sustainable and lower-cost crop production compared to pumping methods.
Experts say sugar requires a steady supply of water throughout its extensive growth cycle without which the crop suffers leading to lower yields and diminished sugar content.
Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Water, Sanitation and Irrigation Eng. Eric Mugaa said new gravity cannel has allowed the on boarding of private investors through PPP framework to lease land in Bura for large scale commercial production of sugarcane and rice.
CS Mugaa said irrigation development was central to the government’s agriculture for economic transformation agenda which seeks to transition the country from rain-fed to year-round irrigation agriculture.
The CS who was speaking after he toured the ongoing sugarcane farming in Bura irrigation scheme said the first seed cane is ready for harvesting and an additional six more pivots have been constructed increasing the area under seed cane by 525 acres.
700 acres are under sugarcane seed cane trails involving eight varieties to identify the most suitable for the region’s arid and semi-arid climate.
The investor has put 20,000 acres for commercial sugarcane farming with projected yields of 95-153tonnes per hectare.
From 8,000 hectares alone annual production could hit between 760,000 and 1.22 million tones helping reduce the national sugar deficit and reduce reliance on imports.
“An additional 85,000 acres will be issued soon for development by three private investors to develop 50,000 acres for cane production and 35,000 acres under rice cultivation,” he said, adding that the project is part of the government’s effort to transform arid lands into productive agricultural zones.
He went on ‘the Bura project represents a shift towards large-scale, private led industrial irrigation to reduce sugar import dependency and create jobs in the agricultural sector’.
The CS hailed the sugar project in Bura scheme which is the first ever irrigated sugarcane cultivation in the country noting that in Bura sugarcane maturity spans between 10 to 12 months as opposed to sugar grown in the western belt of the country that spans between 20 to 22 months.
Eng. Mugaa was accompanied by Principal Secretary State Department for Irrigation Ephantus Kimotho, NIAs board chairman Eng. Gilbert Maluki and CEO Eng. Charles Muasya and Tana River Sugar Company General Manager Hezekiah Muleshe.
The minister stressed on the importance of irrigation in supplementing rain fed agriculture and ensuring consistent yields.
“Functional irrigation systems and schemes were critical to food and nutrition security especially in the face of climate variability,” he said.
The CS who reaffirmed the government’s commitment to sustained engagement with investors noted that his ministry is pushing for faster sugarcane expansion to boost local sugar output and achieve self-sufficiency in sugar production.
Eng. Mugaa said the additional acreage will translate to more production, reduction of poverty and creation of opportunities as espoused in the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) as championed by the national government.
“Since Bura is suitable for sugar cane and rice cultivation we have no business importing sugar and rice in view of our huge potential,” he said, adding that many private firms had signified interest in cultivating the two crops.
He said Tana River has large fertile and irrigable land and declared that it’s the intention of the government to utilize the land and open up the region for economic growth and development.
Eng. Mugaa said the Bura scheme is using the recently developed Sh3.4 billion 26km Bura gravity canal by NIA enabling the provision of 11 cubic metres of water per send up from the initial 3.5 cubic metres per second that was flowing through the pump fed canal.
Water is currently being abstracted from Korakora via gravity to farms in Bura 76 km away cutting the high cost of diesel pumps by Sh10 million per month transforming Bura into a thriving agricultural hub.
He said the expansion of Bura irrigation scheme and on boarding of private investors has been necessitated by the completion, commissioning and operationalization of the gravity intake and canal.
The previous pump-fed irrigation scheme was characterized by many drawbacks such as high cost of pumping which increased the rates of operation and maintenance costs for the farmers.
“The Bura gravity project aims to shift from expensive pumped irrigation to gravity-fed systems to improve sustainability,” he said, adding that it will ensure the full potential of the Bura irrigation scheme in line with BETA.
PS Kimotho highlighted that investors have shown interest in partnering with local farmers on the establishment of feedlots, mechanized rice farming, sugar cane and high-value horticulture.
The PS said these efforts aim to stop sugar and rice importation, create thousands of jobs with the government focusing on enhancing the agricultural value chain.
He said water availability impacts both sugarcane quality and yield as sufficient water boosts sucrose levels and enhances sugar output per acre enabling optimal yields.
“Currently the country faces a deficit of 700,000 metric tons of rice and 400,000 metric tons of sugar and that is why we are ramping up production,” he said.
He noted that the Bura scheme would improve water-use efficiency, increase agricultural production particularly within rural communities and enhance farmers’ incomes.