New Basmati variety takes Ahero rice fields by storm

After years of struggling with IR 27 rice, farmers are now embracing the cultivation of Basmati rice. However, to convince farmers to adopt Basmati, introduced early last year, in Ahero, Kisumu County, was not an easy task.

Farmers shared that they had grown desperate of the IR 27 variety and no longer interested in growing any kind of rice. In fact, majority had resorted to leasing their land for extra income instead of planting rice.

Yet, Farm to Market Alliance (FtMA), in collaboration with Cereals Growers Association (CGA) and partners had recognized the challenges farmers faced with IR 27 and had found an alternative with high demand and better prices, an option that could help farmers put more money in their pockets.

Nancy Anyango, rice farmer from Ombeyi area, Muhoroni Sub County shares that IR 27 has long been faced market challenges and many farmers no longer wanted to plant it. After over 10 years of rice farming, Anyango was frustrated.

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“It reached a point where we farmers hated anything related to rice. We didn’t know there were better varieties out there that were in high demand and equally offered better prices,” she explains.

She also points out that, the quality of IR 27 rice was poor when cooked. She states, “I had not been eating this variety at home. It was tasteless and clumped together when cooked. So, whenever l wanted rice, l would sell the IR 27 that l planted and buy aromatic varieties from shops or supermarkets.”

However, Anyango was among the few farmers who begrudgingly resolved to listen to CGA when it arrived in the area to promote Basmati. She explains they were trained and informed Basmati has high demand and ready markets.

After the training, Anyango decided to plant rice and see how it would fare. She admits, it was a success. “After harvesting, buyers came for it while it was still at the drying yard, in the National Irrigation Authority (NIA), Ahero. For the first time, l fell in love with farming rice again,” explains Anyango, who is also a Farmer Service Centre (FSC) representative.

Anyango reveals, Basmati is selling for Sh 78 per kilo, while the IR 27 variety is priced at Sh 38 per kilo.

Like Anyango, the few farmers who agreed to plant Basmati sold their entire stock, and the buyers were still asking for more. The high demand and better prices raised eyebrows, attracting more farmers who began rushing to Basmati seeds.

Esther Magambo, FtMA Regional Agribusiness Coordinator, explains that the market for IR 27 rice was a major problem for farmers in Kisumu. This is why the FtMA programme implemented by CGA stepped in to address the issues of market access.

The FtMA supported by World Food Programme (WFP) has been working with smallholder farmers, to find solutions within the rice value chain. She explains, they had to introduce a new variety that is market friendly.

“We have got a breakthrough by introducing Basmati, a rice variety that is capturing the market. Now, more farmers are embracing Basmati and we are set to revolutionize the rice value chain in Kisumu,” she explains. She adds, at the beginning, farmers were asking where they will sell rice, especially when there was no market.

Magambo remembers, they started with only a few farmers a year ago. Today for instance, in Block F alone, 68 acres out of 80, plant Basmati rice. She credits Farmer Service Centres for their role in empowering farmers through trainings on good agronomic practices, to produce quality rice.

She explains, IR 27 has traditionally been preferred by Ugandan traders. However, the pricing is very low, at just Sh 38 per kilo. And of late, Ugandan traders have stopped coming as frequently as they used to.

In terms of productivity, IR 27 yields 40 bags per acre but comes with high production cost, including the use of four bags of fertilizers per acre. In contrast, Basmati produces 20 bags per acre and uses 2 bags of fertilizer.

She explains, “The game-changer is at the market level, where a farmer sells IR 27 for Sh 38 per kilo, while Basmati goes for Sh 78. The production cost for Basmati is also a bit lower compared IR 27.” 

For the 40 bags per acre of IR 27 variety, the costs increase as farmers pay for each bag during harvesting, loading, off-loading and drying.

During a visit to the drying yard at the NIA, thousands of bags of IR 27 lie there while Basmati was reportedly being taken even before drying. 

Another farmer, Hezron Amollo recounts how, after taking over his parents’ rice farms 2018, it was frustrating to produce without a reliable market. “I felt like abandoning rice, but again, it’s the traditional crop in this area. We kept planting, but there was not much to take home,” he explains.

He says Basmati has restored his faith in rice cultivation due to its demand and better prices. He also lauds Basmati for its ability to nurture ratoon, once the first crop is harvested.

“The IR 27 variety is planted once and the uprooted while Basmati, after you harvest, allows the remaining stalks to germinate as ratoon, saving farmers the hassle of finding new seeds,” he explains. Amollo reveals, in just two years, he is making more profits from his farming.

Nelvent Anyango, a young farmer says she began farming rice when everyone was struggling to find market for their produce. Her first harvest in 2021 was disheartening.

“There were hundreds of tonnes at the drying yard lying unsold. This forced some farmers to lower the already low prices even further. The average price was Sh 38, but some farmers reduced it to Sh 30 per kilo, or even lower, desperate to sell all they had. Many suffered huge losses,” she says.

Nelvent also explains that the IR 27 is highly susceptible to many diseases, requiring the use of more chemicals to contain them.

Last year, Nelvent earned Sh 200,000 from Basmati. Her initial harvest gave her Sh 120, 000 and later the ratoon crop Sh 80,000. She plans to expand her farms from the current one acre to three and later five acres.

However, she says that Basmati’s main challenge is that its loved by birds. “That sweet aroma attracts birds that destroy the crop in the farm,” she discloses. To combat the birds, she has employed farmhands to chase and protect the rice. 

Another challenge faced by rice farmers in Ahero is attributed to postharvest losses. Despite their efforts to maximize rice grain utilization, a significant portion of the harvest is lost due to factors such as insufficient knowledge, inadequate technology, and, or poor storage infrastructure.

George Njoroge the FtMA Kenya Country Coordinator explains that, minimizing rice grain losses within the supply chain presents a resource-efficient approach that can contribute to enhanced food security, rural development and improved livelihoods for farmers. WFP, in collaboration with FtMA, is reducing post-harvest losses in the rice value chain by training farmers on best practices and conducting awareness campaigns.

“Post-harvest losses significantly impact nutrition, health and livelihoods, disproportionately affecting women who manage most post-harvest tasks," explains Caroline Mwendwa, a food technologist with WFP in Kenya

Rose Awino, from the Farmer Service Centre explains the first production typically yields between Sh 100,000 and Sh 120,000 per acre on average. But ratoon production is a bit lower, makes about Sh 80,000.

She explains, they continue to train and empower farmers to increase rice production and boost their income. She states, “As FSC, we link farmers to services like inputs and finances to support crops.”

Awino also notes that IR 27 takes at least 120 days while Basmati 100 to mature from land preparation to harvesting. Farmers also sell husks to people who use them to make hay for livestock.

As part of encouraging more farmers adopt Basmati, is motivating those leasing land to stop and farm on their own. Ezra Omollo, Chairman Block F, Group 2 explains that farmers who lease their land are losing a lot of money.

“Anyone who leases his or her acre land, earns about Sh 30,000 per year. However, if they farm the same acre themselves, planting Basmati and managing the ratoon, they can make around Sh 200,000 per year,” he explains.

The first harvest gives about Sh 120,000 while the harvest-ratoon brings between Sh 80,000 and Sh 100,000 depending how well the farm is managed.

Ronald Orwa, County Agribusiness Coordinator for FtMA Kisumu, lauds the significant progress made as more farmers adopt Basmati variety. He explains, through FSC, they are encouraging farmers to form cooperatives, enabling them to negotiate better prices with buyers and off-takers engaged in the initiative. 

He discloses the scheme in the area has more than 5000 farmers. “In fact, we took a team from FSC to Mwea Irrigation scheme, where they gained valuable knowledge how to run a cooperative, especially learning how Mwea Rice Growers Multipurpose Co-operative Society Ltd (MRGM) works with farmers,” he explains.

Orwa also commends the collaboration with NIA and the government which is helping farmers succeed in rice value chain.

He explains, they are looking forward to value addition for the rice produced in the area, as it brings more income to the farmers compared to selling raw produce. 

He explains, “Right now, most farmers sell paddy, but they want to get involved in milling and packaging. We are also in the process of developing a brand of the rice products.”

In addition to Basmati, Orwa reveals they are also encouraging farmers to grow Komboka. They are actively in the process of seeking markets for Komboka rice.

However, even the lucrative Basmati has its share of challenges. Farmers say that due to its aromatic smell, the rice attracts birds and they must find ways to chase them, which comes at a cost.

Some farmers report paying up to Sh 5,000 per acre to keep the birds away, especially around harvesting season.

Another challenge is the impact of climate change, particularly the floods, as it destroys crops, especially when they are close to harvesting. The floods typically take the rice along with the grains.

Kevin Ochieng, an agronomist working with National Irrigation Authority, Ahero explains their roles involves building capacity of farmers by enhancing their technical skills and linking them to financial institutions and markets.

On Basmati, Ochieng explains, they are encouraging farmers to adopt, since it’s a premium, product.

“It's so much needed in the market due to its qualities. It's aromatic, slender and the grain are long. So, there’s strong market demand for Basmati,” he says.

He adds, “As an institution, when we guide farmers on production, we advise them to choose the right variety that will, fetch good market prices.”

Ochieng reveals, most of the rice in the drying yard is the IR 27 variety.