- Mudavadi said Kenya is seeking technologies from Israel that would lower the cost of production and make locally-grown agricultural produce competitive in the global market.
- Ditcher noted that the country’s agricultural sector offers significant opportunities due to the presence of large tracts of arable land.
Image: OPCS
The Israeli government has declared interest in investing in huge farming projects in the country through structured private-to-private arrangements.
In the arrangement discussed by Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and Israeli Agriculture Minister Avi Ditcher, private sector investors will be allowed to invest billions in thousands of hectares and export the produce through a private arrangement in a possible 25-year deal.
“This is a private-private arrangement that will only be guaranteed by the two governments through giving necessary logistics and a conducive environment,” said Mudavadi.
Mudavadi said Kenya was keen to attract such investments as it allows the country to utilise millions of acres of land currently lying idle.
He noted that part of the produce would go into pushing down the prices of food locally.
“The biggest catch for Kenyans is the thousands of jobs that would be created by the private sector once the Israeli investors come in," Mudavadi said.
Mudavadi held the discussions through a video conference call with Ditcher.
In the meeting, Mudavadi and Ditcher discussed cooperation between Kenya and Israel in the field of Agriculture.
Ditcher said Israel is interested in entering into partnerships with Kenyan farming entities involved in wheat production.
“The partnerships would be structured along private-to-private arrangements with the support and facilitation of the two governments,” said Ditcher.
Ditcher noted that the country’s agricultural sector offers significant opportunities due to the presence of large tracts of arable land.
The agriculture minister noted that their farmers and firms had developed technology that would enable Kenya to enhance food production with minimal use of water and soil resources.
“Israel is a leader in precision agriculture that involves the use of drones, sensors, and farm management software to boost farmers’ yields. We want to invest this in Kenya through our investors,” Ditcher said.
Present were senior officials from the two governments, including Abdishakur Hussein, acting Deputy Director-General (Foreign Service) and Head of the Middle East Directorate at the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Kenya, and Michael Lotem, Ambassador of the State of Israel in Nairobi.
In Kenya, government data indicates that the agricultural sector contributes over 33 per cent of the gross domestic product, employs 40 per cent of the population, and accounts for 65 per cent of the country’s export earnings.
Mudavadi said Kenya is seeking technologies from Israel that would lower the cost of production and make locally-grown agricultural produce competitive in the global market.
“Kenya will also leverage modern technologies to transform from being an importer to a net exporter,” Mudavadi said.