Kenya has unveiled an ambitious plan to establish a billion-shilling date palm industry across its arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs).
The reclamation initiative aims to commercialise date farming as a climate-resilient crop for transforming dryland economies.
A high-level delegation, led by Agricultural and Food Authority (AFA) Director General Dr. Bruno Linyiru and Council of Governors (COG) Chair Ahmed Abdullahi, toured Kutch Farm in Kibwezi, Makueni County.
The delegation was accompanied by experts from the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO) and the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS), who inspected thriving Indian and Israeli date varieties that were performing well under Kenyan conditions.
During the tour, officials observed trees yielding up to 200 kilograms each, underscoring the crop’s huge potential for income generation.
According to Dr Lunyiru, the government is prioritising date palm farming as part of its climate adaptation and food security strategy.
“As climate patterns shift, Kenya must diversify. Date palms are high-value, drought-tolerant crops perfectly suited for ASAL regions,” the AFA Director General noted.
Currently, Kenya produces only 1,100 kilograms of dates annually, yet spends over Ksh359 million on imports, despite having ideal climatic conditions.
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The officials believe that increasing local production could replace imports, create jobs, and open export opportunities.
In addition, the tour at Kutch Farm revealed that the date palms thrived alongside mangoes, oranges, and okra, providing an intercropping model that boosts farm productivity.
The financial returns from premium date varieties, such as Medjool, amount to Ksh1,200 per kilogram and annual profits upwards of Ksh3.4 million per hectare in counties like Wajir, Garissa, Makueni, and Turkana.
The project aligns with the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), aiming to turn Kenya’s drylands into engines of sustainable prosperity.
