Rice Production areas set to expand in Kisumu as Ahero town unveiled

Kisumu Governor Prof. Anyang' Nyong'o joins dancers in a jig during the unveiling of Ahero Town. Rice Production areas in Kisumu County is set to be expanded by the National Irrigation Authority with the unveiling of Ahero Town-Photo By Dickson Odhiambo

 By Dickson Odhiambo

November 3, 2020

Rice Production areas set to expand in Kisumu as Ahero town unveiled

THE National Irrigation Authority plans to expand the rice production within Kisumu County as Ahero Town is unveiled.

The National Irrigation Authority Chairman Engineer Joshua Toro says the Authority has settled on expanding the rice production areas within Kisumu.

Addressing the residents of Ahero town at Multi-purpose Compound during the ceremony to unveil Ahero town by Kisumu Governor Prof Peter Anyang Nyong’o, the National Irrigation Authority Chairman said it had committed over shs 550 million within the last three years to expand the area under irrigation from an initial 8,000 acres to 13,000 acres in Kisumu County.

He says this expansion supports over 7,000 farmers directly and over 30,000 households indirectly adding that business people have also benefitted from this initiative.

Toro says the developed irrigation area produces over 60,000 metric tonnes of rice per year with a gross market value of shs 2.8billion in a year.

“For the farmer, this translate to an income of approximately shs 300,000 per acre per year,” Toro says

He says the Authority further plans to commit resources for an expansion of rice production areas in Kisumu County in the next three years with a further expansion of 5,500 acres.

He says the proposed targeted areas include Awasi, Ambo in Kabonyo/Kanyagwal ward, Chiga and Kobong’o areas within Kisumu County.

“This will now bring the total acreage to about 18,000 acres within the next three years in area where rice is produced in Kisumu County,” Toro says.

Toro urges the rice farmers not to relent to the production of the commodity because market will be there for their commodity.

He further urges the rice farmers to fully take advantage of the unveiled Ahero Town to do more rice farming within the region since this is one of the major livelihood within.

He says the Authority has also commissioned the construction of a borehole at a cost of shs 4.3 million which will provide clean and portable water for domestic us by the residents of West Kano Irrigation scheme who have been affected by the water backflow from the Lake Victoria.

“It is evident that the nerve Center for Ahero town economic growth is rightfully anchored in the Irrigation sector,” Toro adds.

He says what needs to be done include to pursue aggressive, prudent development, rehabilitation expansion, Utilization, operation and management of the irrigation infrastructure and facilities.

“Irrigation will provide opportunity to increase food production and nutritional security,” he further adds.

Toro urges the County Government of Kisumu to work closely with the National Irrigation Authority to realize the dreams and aspiration of the rice growing farmers.

“In particular, the County Government of Kisumu should consider increasing the support in the areas of farmers’ capacity building, Production, harvesting, processing, storage, value addition and marketing,”

Toro further says the County Government of Kisumu should be able to create conducive environment through legal, policies and administrative actions for the private sector to play their meaningful role in the production of rice within Kisumu County.

Kisumu Governor Prof Anyang Nyong’o who officially unveiled Ahero town describes it as a place with a land mark coupled with interesting features and a booming economy.

“It’s a farming town surrounded by lush green rice fields and the great Nyando agricultural belt teeming with sugar cane plantations,” Nyong’o says.

Nyong’o says Ahero alongside other towns will have to receive a dedicated budget to address its infrastructural issues among them roads, drainage, street lighting and solid waste management system among others.

“To bring this closer home, my government in this year’s budget has earmarked about 400 metres of road network within Ahero town for upgrading to paving blocks standard alongside drainage improvement works; mount 35 street lights along streets of Ahero stretching over a kilometre. Similarly, we are putting up a circular solid management system which will involve composting of organics into fertilizer, recover and recycle plastics and glass into building blocks,” he says.

The Governor says a town status to Ahero town will put it at a position to compete for various urban financing specifically targeted for towns, municipalities and cities, adding that this will help the town realize even much faster urban infrastructural development.

Nyong’o says the place will have a dedicated governance system made of a town management committee and a town administrator who will look into the day today activities of the town as per the provisions of the Urban Areas and Cities Act.

“The town administrator will lead a dedicated staff made up of town Planner, Engineer, Public Health Officer among others staff relevant for town administration. Issues of Ahero town will therefore be addressed much faster than they are currently. The expansion of the Ahero irrigation scheme by the national government through the National Irrigation Authority will only add to the fortunes of Ahero town,” Nyong’o further says.

Governor Nyong’o says with an Integrated Urban Strategic Development Plan and subsequent town boundary delineation, Ahero town growth will be controlled within a restricted spatial boundary, adding that this will particularly ensure that the rich agricultural land in the larger Kano plains which has been the single most contributing factor for the growth of the town is protected.

“I wish to inform you that Ahero Town is starting on a promising note because it is already a beneficiary of Swedish funded project known as Symbiocity.  The Symbiocity project aims at improving the status of the town on urban planning and improvement of infrastructures. Kisumu was one of the 18 counties picked for the project and we settled on Ahero.  The aim was to make Ahero – a clean, healthy, resilient and convergent town of prosperity,” Nyong’o adds

Ahero becomes the second town the County Government of Kisumu is unveiling after Maseno that was unveiled nearly two months ago.

The County Government of Kisumu have earmarked five urban centers to be upgraded into towns namely Maseno, Ahero, Muhoroni, Katito and Kombewa.

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