The Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) has teamed up with the County Government of Nakuru in a renewed drive to promote the cultivation of oil crops in the devolved unit, to reduce the import bill for edible oils and to lower the prices of cooking oil in Kenya.
In the latest initiative, AFA has delivered 5,000 kilogrammes of canola (rapeseed) oil seeds to be distributed to 600 farmers identified by the County government, to grow the crop on 1,250 acres during the ongoing rainy season.
According to County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Veterinary Services Mr Leonard Bor, AFA through its Crop and Nuts Directorate is also rooting for the adoption of canola as a beneficial rotational crop, particularly for cereal farmers, as it enhances soil health, suppresses pests and weeds and improves yields of subsequent crops like wheat and barley.
Mr Bor noted that the country remains a net importer of vegetable oils as local production has not grown to meet the local industrial and domestic demand, yet many oil seeds, such as sunflower, simsim, soya beans, rapeseed (canola), coconut, castor and groundnuts can be grown and processed locally.
According to data from the Nuts and Oil Crops Directorate under the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA), Kenya produces only 34 per cent of its edible oils and fat requirements; the deficit is imported mainly from Southeast Asian countries.
Speaking during an exercise to flag off distribution of the canola oil seeds to farmers spread across the 11 Sub-counties, the CECM encouraged smallholder growers in the region to take up cultivation of oil crops, whose huge unmet demand he affirmed guarantees a ready local and international market.
In July 2023, the National Government unveiled the Edible Oil Crops Promotion Project (EOCPP), whose overall objective is to promote the domestic production of edible oil crops to reduce reliance on imports.
The five-year project, valued at Sh981 million, seeks to boost production of crops like sunflower, canola, soybean, and coconut. The project is co-funded by the National Treasury and the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) – Nuts and Oil Crops Directorate.
The strategy aims to reduce the oil crops import bill by more than 30 percent in the next five years.
While pledging that the partnership between AFA and the County Government will also support smallholder farmers to engage in canola oil seed value addition, Mr Bor stated that although the oil crops are drought resistant and adaptable to many ecological zones, Kenya is currently producing less than 50 percent of her needs.
“Kenya spends at least Sh 160 billion annually to import edible oils from other countries, mainly Southeast Asian countries. Governor Susan Kihika’s Administration has embarked on oil crop promotion projects that aim to boost local production of the oil crops and address the cost of edible oils in the country,” Mr Bor disclosed.
He added, “by boosting the local production of edible oils, the country will also create employment opportunities and empower local farmers.”
Kenyan manufacturers of edible oils locally have in the past resorted to importing Sunflower and soybeans from Tanzania and Uganda to plug the deficit and sustain processing demand.
Agriculture Chief Officer Newton Mwaura encouraged farmers to work with extension officers for advice on proper agronomic practices from planting the oil crops to harvesting for increased productivity.
Mr Mwaura indicated that farmers can also process canola and sunflower seeds at household levels into cooking oil.
The Chief Officer pledged that the County Government is determined to have farmers access quality oil crop seeds and enhance agriculture extension services for farmers towards increasing edible oil products.
He observed that the oil crop industries had the potential to create over 200,000 Jobs in the devolved unit directly and indirectly through the establishment of cottage industries and the production of livestock feed.
In previous initiatives to promote oil crop farming, the County Government has been coordinating distribution of certified planting material to farmers, subsidising fertiliser, providing market linkages and enhancing value addition to boost farmers’ earnings.
AFA has further indicated that the country’s import bill of edible oils has been increasing at an annual rate of 15 percent due to skyrocketing demand locally.
The Authority notes that Kenya consumes 900 metric tonnes of edible oils annually, from which only six percent is sourced locally.
Mr Mwaura observed that Canola is grown for its highly nutritious oil, which is extracted from its seeds. The plant produces omega-3, -6 and -9 fatty acids that are otherwise only found in fish and are known to prevent arthritis, diabetes and heart disease, among many other health benefits.
“Canola cakes are highly nutritious for chickens and other domestic animals. Canola has only seven per cent cholesterol level, while sunflower oil has 12 per cent, olive oil has 15 per cent, maize oil has 20 per cent and coconut oil has 22 per cent,” mentioned the Chief Officer.
He observed that Canola, a flower-like plant of the cabbage family, takes between 80-150 days to mature and therefore can be rotated with other common garden crops.
Mwaura stated that oil crops have been found to reduce erosion, improve soil water retention and lead to fewer weeds, pests and diseases. Oil crop yields, he says, are 25 percent more compared to other crops.
The Official said some crops are shallow-rooted, especially the cereals. Canola, he added, with its deep roots that go up to two feet into the ground, helps in pumping nutrients to the topsoil so that other crops use it.
The Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Organisation (KALRO) has developed 14 varieties of canola.
The oil plant, with its omega-3 and omega-6 vitamins vital for brain development, grows in both high-altitude and drought-tolerant areas, Mr Mwaura said.
With regard to sunflowers, they grow well in areas with sparse rainfall, and the soil should be slightly acidic with a pH of between 6.0 and 7.5.
Two main categories of sunflower-Hybrid Variety and Open Pollinated Variety (OPV) – are grown in the country.
Several hybrid varieties which include Sunbeam, Mammoth, Autumn Beauty, Teddy Bear and Kenya Fedha, are grown in different parts of the country. They mature in three to four months.
Mwaura explained that the hybrid varieties have higher oil content and better yields per acre, averaging 25 bags, while Open Pollinated Varieties have the advantage that their seed can be recycled four times.
Sunflower by-products, such as sunflower cakes, stated the Chief Officer have a ready market in the animal feed manufacturers’ industries. Farmers can make more profits, he added, if they incorporate value addition in the enterprise as compared to selling the raw seed.
By Anne Mwale
