Ruto Announces 71 Million Bags of Maize as Kenya Plans Major Irrigation Expansion

President William Ruto has announced that Kenya’s maize production rose from 34.3 million bags in 2022 to 71 million bags in 2025, alongside a decline in maize imports as his administration seeks to strengthen the country’s food security.

Speaking during the 63rd Mashujaa Day celebrations at Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County, on Tuesday, October 20, Ruto attributed the reported increase to government measures aimed at supporting farmers and raising agricultural output.

“Our maize production has increased from 34.3 million bags to 71 million bags,” the President said.

According to Ruto, maize imports fell from 9.9 million bags to 3.3 million bags over the period, a development he linked to increased domestic production.

The figures formed part of his address on the government’s economic record, with agriculture featuring prominently in his account of efforts to reduce dependence on imported food and improve farmers’ earnings.

Ruto also highlighted the fertiliser subsidy programme, saying the government had subsidised more than 38 million bags of fertiliser since 2022.

He said the intervention had reduced the price of a 50-kilogramme bag from KSh7,500 to KSh2,000, lowering one of the major costs farmers face when preparing their land and planting crops.

The government has presented the subsidy as a way to make farm inputs more affordable and encourage farmers to increase production. However, the benefits ultimately depend on farmers’ access to the subsidised fertiliser, the timing of distribution and the cost of other agricultural inputs.

Beyond maize, Ruto reported an increase in cotton yields, which he said had risen from 177 kilogrammes to 378 kilogrammes per acre.

The President used the figures to illustrate what he described as improvements in agricultural production under the Kenya Kwanza administration.

He also outlined plans to expand irrigation through the construction of large, medium-sized and small dams across the country under the proposed National Infrastructure Fund.

The government intends to increase the area under irrigation to 2.5 million acres, according to Ruto. The expansion is expected to reduce farmers’ dependence on rainfall and create opportunities to grow crops in areas where unreliable weather conditions can disrupt production.

If implemented, the proposed projects could support more consistent agricultural output by improving access to water during dry periods. Their impact will depend on project financing, construction, water availability and the ability of farmers to use the infrastructure.

Ruto further said more than 7.1 million farmers had been registered on the Kenya Integrated Agricultural Management Information System.

The digital platform is intended to help the government identify farmers and improve the targeting of agricultural support, including the distribution of inputs. Registration is also expected to provide a stronger information base for planning and delivering services to the agricultural sector.

The President said the wider interventions were designed to lower production costs, improve yields and increase farmers’ incomes.

The dairy industry also featured in his address, with Ruto reporting that national milk production had increased by one billion litres.

He said the price paid to farmers for milk had risen from KSh35 to KSh60 per litre, pointing to the changes as part of efforts to improve earnings for dairy producers.

At New Kenya Cooperative Creameries (New KCC) in Eldoret, the President announced a further payment adjustment for dairy farmers.

According to his announcement, farmers would receive KSh65 per litre from October, followed by monthly increases of KSh2 per litre, with payments made every four months.

The proposed payment arrangement is expected to affect dairy farmers supplying milk through the system, although the actual benefit to individual producers will depend on the applicable payment terms and implementation.

Agriculture remains central to Kenya’s food supply and rural livelihoods, making the cost of farm inputs, access to irrigation and the prices paid to producers important issues for households and farming communities.

Ruto’s Mashujaa Day address brought together several measures intended to increase domestic food production, from subsidised fertiliser and farmer registration to proposed irrigation infrastructure and changes in dairy payments.

The maize figures he presented suggest a substantial increase in reported production between 2022 and 2025, accompanied by lower maize imports.

The government’s longer-term challenge will be sustaining production gains, ensuring farmers can access affordable inputs and translating higher agricultural output into reliable food supplies and better incomes.