This year, Kenya will harvest Bt cotton in September.
This comes after nearly two decades of waiting for commercialization.
The projected crop will come from Embu and Kirinyaga counties. This will revitalise the region’s idle ginneries. Once harvested, the cotton is intended to stimulate economic growth by reviving the moribund textile sector and wean Kenyans off their reliance on second-hand clothing, popularly known as Mitumba.
The government has already trained 50,000 youths and women who are being involved in the production of the BT cotton. Farmers in the lower Mwea have been able to produce yields three times more than the conventional varieties and have taken a shorter time of between 130 to 180 days to mature. Successful implementation of this measure is expected to increase revenue from Sh 3.5 million to Sh 200 billion, create 500,000 jobs and another 100,000 from the apparel sector by 2022.
