The Lake region has the potential to produce 60 per cent of the country’s rice needs, Siaya Governor James Orengo has said.
Orengo is calling on the government and partners to help the region harness its potential to enable the locals to become food-secure and improve their livelihoods.
He was speaking outside his office today after hosting a delegation of investors from India led by the chairman of India’s National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Govinda R. Chintala.
The governor said that his government was keen on pursuing partnerships with investors that would see the local rice growers benefit from the Indians’ knowledge and technology.
“India is now the biggest producer of rice in the world, a big chunk of which is exported,” noted the governor, adding, “We have got a great friend in India to learn from and share experiences with.”.
Orengo said that the delegation’s visit was reciprocal of an earlier visit by three Lake Region Economic Block governors to India, where they held discussions with several potential investors.
Chintala said his delegation was keen on rice cultivation and wanted to see how they could partner to increase yields.
He said that they were looking at possibilities of introducing modern Indian rice production technology into the region to help both small-scale and large scale producers improve production.
“India has developed technology that even the International Rice Research Institutes are looking at to see how the entire production process can be mechanised and yields pushed up,” he said.
The chairman of the Siaya County Assembly Agriculture Committee, Mr. Fredrick Omoro, called on investors to consider investing in the county, which he noted was blessed with enough land, manpower, and good weather.
By Philip Onyango
