Over 2000 farmers in Bura scheme to benefit from new irrigation system
By Issa Hussein |
The gravity system will impact the livelihoods of around 2,245 beneficiaries, mostly engaged in rice and maize production.
More than 2000 farmers from Bura irrigation scheme in Tana River County have a reason to smile following a state proposal of a potential shift from a diesel pump-fed irrigation system to a more cost-effective gravity-based system.
In a statement, the Ministry of Water and Irrigation stated that the Principal Secretary for the State Department of Irrigation, Ephantus Kimotho, convened a meeting on Wednesday with key stakeholders, including delegates from the National Irrigation Authority, to discuss the Bura irrigation and settlement scheme.
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"The discussions primarily focused on the scheme's progress and the potential shift from a diesel pump-fed irrigation system to a more cost-effective gravity-based system," the ministry announced on its official social media platforms.
The ministry anticipated that the proposed gravity system would significantly reduce costs and enhance the project's sustainability compared to the current system that relies on diesel-powered pumps.
According to the ministry, the proposed gravity system will positively impact the livelihoods of around 2,245 beneficiaries, mostly engaged in rice and maize production.
The Bura irrigation scheme spans a total of 16,000 acres, with 7,000 acres already developed for irrigation and 3,900 acres actively irrigated, the statement said.
The project was conceived in 1977 after a Word Bank appraisal report and the rapid increase of the country's population.
However, the irrigation scheme that led in the growing of cotton in Kenya collapsed in 1989. Reports indicate that lack of adequate funds after the World Bank pulled out, poor pest control and lack of adequate irrigation water resulted in very low yields and crop failure.
In November 2023, President William Ruto, who visited Bura to open the irrigation scheme and project headworks gate, stated that the rehabilitation and expansion of the Bura irrigation scheme would increase the land under irrigation from 12,000 acres to 25,000 acres and improve production by 950,000 bags of rice and 500,000 bags of maize a year.
He said the expansion would also generate more than 12,000 jobs and boost the economy by Sh5 billion annually.
He also toured a piloted project of the gravity-fed irrigation system that he said once proven successful will help farmers to save Sh120 million annually.
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