Rice farmers in Siaya are set for better times with the launch of the Sh60 million Siriwo rice mill, which has transformed rice production.

The mill eliminates several barriers that had bottlenecked rice production in the region and compelled the farmers to rely on middlemen from Uganda.

When we visited the mill, William Ogola, a rice farmer from Usonga in Siaya County, was moving one of the rice bags to the store. He is among several other farmers who are rushing to pack their rice in the bags to beat the coming rains.

They have already packed several bags and kept them in their store. Once the rice dries, they will move it to the rice mills, which are only 50 metres away from the drying floors and stores.

He says the completion and operation of the Sh60 million Siriwo rice mill is a blessing and a game changer for them.

For years they have relied on the manual system for rice production and also depended on middlemen for their market and recorded less profit and huge losses.

Ogola says initially, the middlemen from Uganda had dominated Usonga rice farms, and a huge percentage of their harvested rice was being bought by them at cheap prices.

He says that with the mill becoming operational, the middlemen have been controlled, and they are reaping the huge benefits of their labor.

“We started rice production with our hands several years ago, but now we have expanded and even have a cooperative. Since we started this cooperative, we have seen a huge difference,” Ogola says.

He says that their lives have become better, there is youth employment in the Usonga area, and their children can go to school.

“We not only do farming, but we also process our rice. To this extent, we have huge harvests. The county government has held our hands and is walking with us through this journey. They have constructed the rice mill for us and also the drying floors,” he notes.

Ogola says the county government has also provided a market through their school feeding program, which has been a big relief to farmers.

“Once we have milled this rice, the county government of Siaya is our first customer. We sell to them for this program,” he says.

Ogola notes that for every harvest, they get more than 10,000 bags of rice, which, when converted, gives them a high profit percentage.

Another farmer, John Mahulo, says the price of their rice has also improved, and now they get good profits from their sales.

He notes that now they are doing mechanized rice farming with tractors, and during harvests, they now use combined harvesters.

“Our only challenge now is that the combined harvesters have to come from Kisumu because we do not have our own. We, however, appreciate this growth because the economy of this area has greatly improved,” he explains.

Oloo Calvin, a bookkeeper at Usonga cooperatives that deals with the rice farmers, says that according to their report, they have produced Sh58 million in sales compared to the previous year, where they had Sh32 million.

“This is the true reflection of things. This growth has been occasioned by the help of the county government because of the ready market they have provided. The rice mill has been a great game changer for farmers here,” he explains.

Mr Oloo says that the rice mill is a game-changer since the farmers no longer sell paddy but already processed rice.

“If this can continue, our sales will go up to Sh70 million because farmers are now encouraged with the ready market. The lives of farmers are now better because there is now employment. You know that with employment, there is a high circulation of money within the economy,” he adds.

Benter Jacobs, the focal person for the school feeding program in Siaya county, says that the rice used in the program is bought locally from farmers.

“Rice is one of the ingredients we use for making this fortified flour. We also have sorghum and soya beans. It is supplementing the kind of porridge we give to the learners in the pre-primary school. We are giving back to our county because as we produce, we sell within,” she says.

She says the county government is currently supporting more than 49,000 learners in all public pre-primary schools with fortified floors.

According to the focal person, a two-kilogram packet of fortified flour serves 60 learners after preparation.

Chief Officer in charge of Agriculture, Elizabeth Adongo, says in the past two years the rice production was very obscure within the Bunyala scheme in the Siaya side.

She says a lot of rice that was being grown then was specifically for the Ugandan market, including the choice of the variety.

The chief officer says the acreage under rice production has increased to 30 per cent.

“Initially, what the farmers were getting was much lower than what they are getting right now. We have doubled what they are getting. We also have strong Saccos around the rice value chain,” she notes.

According to the chief officer, the county government has invested in infrastructure, which includes drying floors and stores, an end-to-end rice mill that can produce 2.5 tons that produce grade one and two rice and package both commercial and retail.

She says the rice mill has produced over 40 tons of paddy rice and is certified from grade one to three.