President William Ruto has declared his administration’s commitment to eradicating hunger by prioritizing local food production. Speaking in Buuri on Thursday, January 25, 2024 President Ruto urged all stakeholders to unite in the fight against hunger, stating, “We want to eliminate hunger by growing food locally.”
Expressing concern over the significant annual expenditure on importing food, which amounts to Sh500 billion, Ruto emphasized the need to harness Kenya’s agricultural potential. “We cannot spend Sh500 billion every year to import food when we can grow it locally… to avoid the challenge of importing food using our foreign exchange and encouraging hunger in our republic,” Ruto asserted.
Furthermore, Ruto highlighted Kenya kwanza’s concrete steps to bolster food production, including the commissioning of the Ngusishi Potato Cold Storage facility in Buuri. He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to supporting farmers and enhancing food self-sufficiency.
“I am committed to putting the shame of hunger behind us once and for all. We rolled out a country-wide farmer registration and fertiliser subsidy program that has made available 5.5 million bags to farmers across Kenya,” Ruto declared, emphasizing the administration’s proactive measures to boost local food production.
With a resolute vision, Ruto outlined a strategic timeline, declaring that, Kenya aims to cease the importation of maize, marking a great milestone in achieving food security.
