Agriculture Cabinet Secretary nominee Andrew Karanja has said the country is doing badly in the sector despite it being a backbone of Kenya's economy.
Karanja further noted that the country is also not doing well in exports of agricultural products.
"We are importing a lot of food worth more than Sh500 billion (Usd4 billion) in terms of wheat, rice and edible oils," Karanja said.
Karanja was speaking on Friday when he appeared before the Appointments Committee for vetting.
Karanja termed it as concerning but said there is still hope for achieving food security through effective interventions.
He pointed out that measures such as subsidised fertiliser could play a crucial role in boosting local agricultural production and reducing dependency on imports.
“With the right interventions, such as providing subsidised fertilisers to our farmers, we can significantly improve our food production and ensure food security for our nation,” Karanja stated.
Karanja said if he is approved as Agriculture CS he will first deal with food security as one of the key areas in the sector.
"When approved I will make sure the farmers have agricultural inputs especially fertiliser," he said.
"Food security is also all about those farm inputs being delivered on time and being of good quality," Karanja stated.
The vetting is being chaired by the Speaker of the National Assembly, Moses Wetang'ula.
Karanja was the first to be vetted by the Committee on Appointments on day two of the exercise.