The government is planning to revive bixa farming in coastal counties.
A delegation led by Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) director of industrial crops Felix Muturi visited Kwale county at the weekend to discuss about the crop and how they can help farmers.
The National Assembly is also reviewing the Crops (Bixa) Amendment Bill 2023.
The draft Crops (Bixa) Regulations have been under development after bixa was declared a scheduled crop in March 2020.
The Bill sponsored by Matuga MP Kassim Tandaza seeks to provide regulation for seed production, growing, processing, value addition, and exportation of bixa products.
Tandaza said the drafted legislation is undergoing public participation for views and recommendations.
"The committee is moving to the village levels to seek views from the public and make adjustments," he said.
The MP said the process is crucial in overseeing the regulations and development of the Bixa Bill and the sector.
He said they are at the level of assigning roles to stakeholders, legal framework, committees and appropriate measures.
"The law requires that the bill should go back to Parliament for review before being approved and that's why stakeholders are engaging the community," he said.
Tandaza said the bill has not effectively elaborated on how the farmers will extensively benefit from the crop.
The MP said the regulations have not explained how local farmers would do value-addition, form associations and work with various investors in growing the sector.
Tandaza said the crop has significant potential to improve the livelihoods of communities in coastal rural areas.
Bixa has traditionally been one of the main sources of livelihood for coastal regions and is cultivated in Kwale, Kilifi and Lamu counties.
The crop bears pods containing seeds coated with a red pigment on the waxy arils that are commercially extracted to produce a natural dye called annatto.
Annatto is used as a natural dye and food colour in various cuisines. It gives a yellow-orange hue to foods such as cheese and margarine. It is also used in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries
Bixa makes about 70 per cent of all the world's natural dyes.
In Kenya, bixa orellana has been one of the four major cash crops in Kwale and one of the seven major cash crops in Lamu.
However, farmers are finding it hard to get financial support because it is an industrial crop that cannot be consumed directly.
Tandaza said the bill seeks to enhance crop production and help the local farmers improve their lives through better farming.
He said the bill calls for government intervention and support to grow and regulate the bixa sector.
Tandaza said the drafted Crops (Bixa) Regulations 2023 and a production handbook will provide solutions to the bixa industry.
Deputy Governor Chirema Kombo said the county will work closely with the national government to fast-track the bill implementation and empower farmers.
He urged farmers to increase the bixa production and other crops for improved food security and livelihoods.
"Since the Kenya Kwanza government has identified bixa as one of the crops that need to be promoted as an export crop in line with the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, so go back to farming and take the opportunity to change lives," he said.
He said the county supports agriculture and will assist the farmers to be successful.
Farmer Maria Mutuku said the bill will help weed out middlemen who have been hurting the bixa sector.
She said the new regulations will ensure the farmers are protected against exploitation and the prices are controlled for fair business and maximum benefit.
Mutuku said before the farmers used to take months to be paid but the bill will promote prompt payment and development of the farmers.
