The National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) hopes to build a new rice mill in Kisumu this fiscal year to help farmers who have been suffering from subpar milling services for a long time.
About 35,000 to 50,000 tonnes are produced annually in Kenya, leaving a shortage that requires the country to import more than 70% of its needs.
Why The New Rice Mill?
Kenya imports at least 80% of all the rice consumed locally to make up for the enormous output shortage, with traders and millers paying a tariff of 35% on imported goods.
Kenyans import a sizable portion of the rice they eat from Pakistan. Kenya is a major importer of rice in the East African region, according to the high commission for Pakistan, which recently stated that they are eager to boost the amounts of rice that comes to Kenya
Kenya produces 80% of its rice through the Mwea irrigation scheme, which is important for the country’s food supply, which mostly depends on imports to close its trade gap. Kenya produces 150,000 tonnes annually, resulting in a 250,000-tonne shortfall that is filled by imports.
The mill, which will be located inside its warehouses on Kisumu’s Nkurumah Road, will have the ability to process 2.5 tonnes of rice per hour (TPH).
The NCPB mill will likely complement two others in the lakeside city that are managed by the Lake Basin Development Authority (LBDA). Thousands of farmers from Ahero (Kisumu County), Nyatike (Migori County), and Bunyala (Busia County) benefited from the Sh65 million milling machine that the state-owned LBDA constructed in Kisumu in 2021. It was constructed to supplement an existing plant and has a capacity of 3.5 tons of paddy rice per hour.
“Consequently, we are seeking proposals from qualified contractors for the design, supply, and installation of a 2.5 TPH rice mill of European make,” the NCPB said.
“The mill will be installed in an existing store, and the bidder will need to make improvements to the store, including but not limited to painting, upgrading the surrounding compound, floor repairs, partitioning, and creating some office spaces,” it added.