Posted on March, 23, 2022 at 08:40 am
Kenya's rice production is forecast to rise 12% to 90,000 metric tons in the next marketing year from October 2022 through September 2023, compared with the current year, the U.S. Agriculture Department said late Monday.
The increase is attributed to an expected 16% increase in area harvested, after the new Thiba dam is commissioned later in 2022, which will expand the Mwea irrigation scheme--which currently accounts for 80% of Kenya's production--the department said in its annual Kenya grain and feed report.
Rice yields are expected to decrease slightly due to lower fertilizer application as prices surge, it said.
Production in the current 2021-22 marketing year will remain unchanged on the prior year, it said.
In 2022-2023 marketing year, imports will decline slightly by 10,000 tons to 640,000 tons as Kenya's production gains are expected to cover any expected consumption increases.
In 2021, Pakistan, Tanzania, India, Thailand, and Italy were the leading rice exporters to Kenya, the report said.
Source: Marketscreener