Mwea Rice Prices Rise Over Increased Demand

The cost of rice has now gone up on the back of high demand, following the severe drought witnessed in the country which affected maize production, pushing Kenyans to other alternatives such as rice.

Rice processors in Mwea Kirinyaga county are now selling one kilogram of processed rice at 180 shillings from 120 shillings, signaling tough times ahead for Kenyans.

“There is high demand for rice due to an acute shortage of maize, especially in the Mt Kenya region. Therefore, rice traders are taking advantage of the maize shortage to hike rice prices,” John Murungaru, a consumer said.

The witnessed erratic and delayed rains have affected the planting of Kenya’s staples hence the entire food security of the country. Because maize failed, Kenyans had to turn to rice which is produced on large scale in Mwea Kirinyaga county.

In January this year, the government initiated a 10-year plan to promote rice consumption and reduce maize reliance, due to weather uncertainty which has pushed the price of the commodity to a high of 7,000 shillings for a 90 kg bag. This has consequently been passed to consumers through high maize flour prices.

Kenya mostly depends on imported rice from Pakistan, producing only 15 percent of what is consumed.  In 2020, the country produced 180,000 metric tons of rice, which is projected to increase by 10 percent to 520,000 MT by 2030. At the same time, it imported rice worth 25 billion shillings which could have been produced locally. Annual rice production in Kenya stands at between 35,000 and 50,000 tons.

Mwea irrigation scheme accounts for 80 percent of Kenya’s rice, playing a major role in the nationwide supply of the grain. The total annual rice production in the scheme is estimated at 113,000 metric tons, with a potential for enhanced production.  Other small-scale rice-producing regions include the western, coast, and Nyanza.

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