Kisumu County Governor Jack Ranguma has appealed to President Uhuru Kenyatta to allow farming of Biotechnology Cotton to jumpstart Kisumu Cotton Mills (KICOMI) factory in Kisumu.
Ranguma said he had written many letters to the national government as the chair of the Health and Biotechnology Committee in the Council of Governors, seeking to introduce the new cotton variety.
“This is a matter that I have been following for quite some time. I have written numerous letters to President Kenyatta over this matter. If BT Cotton is farmed in the country, the move will jumpstart KICOMI factory,” he said.
He said many cotton factories are eager to relocate to Kenya but lack of raw material has continued to hold them back.
Speaking to journalists in Kisumu on Wednesday, Ranguma said farmers are bound to reap more from BT Cotton farming as it is less intensive in production.
He said Kisumu region has the potential to produce cotton that can sustain KICOMI factory, as well as produce enough to export to other countries.
“Our farmers will have food on their table and the County of Kisumu will have more money for development,” he said.
The Governor said the new variety will minimize farmers’ losses and will require only three applications of pesticides as compared to the conventional cotton that requires 12 sprays to fight off pests.
KICOMI collapsed in 1999 and its collapse was primarily blamed on the elimination of price controls, leading to unregulated liberalisation of the country’s cotton sub-sector.
Former President Mwai Kibaki signed into law the Bio Safety Bill but regulations to implement the Bill have not been put in place.