By George Mwangi

Special for Dow Jones Newswires

NAIROBI – Kenya’s rice production is expected to increase by 12% to 90,000 metric tons in the next marketing year from October 2022 to September 2023, compared to the current year, the US Department of Agriculture announced on Monday. Agriculture.

The increase is attributed to a projected 16% increase in harvested area, following the commissioning of the new Thiba Dam later in 2022, which will expand the Mwea irrigation system – which currently accounts for 80% of production of Kenya – the department said in its annual report on cereals and animal feed in Kenya.

Rice yields are expected to decline slightly due to lower fertilizer application as prices rise, he said.

Production for the current 2021-22 marketing year will remain unchanged from the previous year, he said.

In the 2022-2023 marketing year, imports will decline slightly by 10,000 tonnes to 640,000 tonnes as Kenya’s production gains are expected to cover any projected increase in consumption.

In 2021, Pakistan, Tanzania, India, Thailand and Italy were the top rice exporters to Kenya, according to the report.

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03-22-22 1407ET