Bixa shrubs on a farm in Kikoneni, Kwale County. [File, Standard]
The government has launched an ambitious drive to double bixa production by expanding the number of growers and fully utilising the country's 3,000-tonne annual processing capacity.
The move is expected to create thousands of new farming and processing jobs while raising rural incomes.
Speaking during a visit to Kenya Bixa Limited in Kwale County, Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) and the coastal county governments will work together to expand production through the distribution of certified seedlings, stronger extension services, farmer cooperatives and affordable financing, positioning bixa as one of Kenya's next high-value commercial crops.
He said Kenya already possesses the processing plant, export markets and internationally certified manufacturing standards required to compete globally and what is now needed is to rapidly increase production from the farms.
Currently, Kenya Bixa Limited processes between 1,000 and 1,400 tonnes of raw bixa annually despite having the capacity to process 3,000 tonnes every year, hence the factory is operating at less than half of its potential.
The current production comes from between 7,000 and 10,000 contracted smallholder farmers spread across Kwale, Kilifi and Lamu counties.