Wheat farmers are facing acute seed shortages of the popular Njoro 2 variety leading many to abandon wheat farming.
Released in 2001, surveys have shown that one-third of Kenyan wheat farmers exclusively grow the KARI-developed Njoro BWII. This is thanks to its short maturity time of 115 days and high yield (3.7-8 tons an acre). Most importantly, however, unlike imported seed varieties, Njoro 2 can be replanted and give up to 78 per cent of its original yield.
“There have been limited supplies of Njoro 2 seeds for farmers during the planting season forcing them to grow ‘poorer’ wheat varieties or shift to maize farming,” explained Joseph Wangai, a wheat agronomist and farmer.
According to the Kenya Economic Survey 2023, wheat production decreased by 16.1 per cent from 368,700 tonnes in 2022 to 309,500 tonnes in 2023 as many farmers opted to grow maize.
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Njoro 2 remains the undisputed king of Kenyan wheat farming because it matures into heavy grains an acre of which fill 28 bags. These seeds can be replanted and harvest 15-20 bags,” explained
The seeds are also cheap, costing Sh2,500 for a 50 kg bag compared to the Sh4,000-5,000 it costs to purchase foreign seeds such as Kasuko and Robin which are not bred for local Kenyan conditions and yield just 20 bags an acre. These imported seeds also yield about five bags an acre after replanting.
According to the Kenya Seed Company, the producer of Njoro 2 wheat, demand for seeds in the country and region remains higher than supply. This has seen the company invest heavily in recruiting seed-growing farmers across the country.
The state cooperation is targeting the production of an additional five million kilograms of seed this year increasing its certified seed production to 30 million kilograms.
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“We are also recruiting additional farmers to increase the area under Kenya Seed production from 33,000 to 41,000 acres to deal with the vociferous demand in East Africa for quality certified seed,” said the company’s Managing Director Sammy Chepsiror.
Wangai recommends that Kenya’s seed makers such as Kenya Seed and Agricultural Development Corporation (ADC) invest in genetic resources and gene banks to secure good Kenyan varieties such as Njoro 2 bred for resilience and production in Kenya.