Kisumu

                                                                           30^th November 2006

The Dominion Farm Limited, the American owned firm which is currently involved in multibillion shillings rice project at the reclaimed wetlands in Yala Swamp in Siaya is to embark on massive cotton production.

DFL has set aside a total of 150 acres of the reclaimed land for planting cotton. It has considered the lack of sufficient qualities of cotton in the country that may be used in the manufacturing of textile products to feed into AGOA market.

This idea came when the various cotton Ginneries in Kenya have closed down and those still ginning are paying low rates for the raw materials obtained from cotton farmers.

The firm has noted that quality seed are not readily available to the farmers in large quantities and this has a major drawback for Kenya 's cotton industry where potential for cotton production in very high.

The DFL has been encouraged to go into cotton seed production, and is currently assisting or working in partnership with the nearby Ndere Cotton Ginnery to upgrade and improve its ginning capacity in order to increase cotton lint production

The previously run-down Ndere Cotton Ginnery is owned by the Siaya District Co-operative Union, but the cotton growers were at a certain point severely discouraged from growing the highly valued crop and abandons it due to delayed or non-payment by the various primary farmers co-operative societies charged with the buying cotton from local farmers.

This trend has now changed drastically since the DFL entered into cotton farming and ginning .TheRiver Yala based firm is purchasing cotton from the farmers on cash payment. It has extended its collections to a far field like Uyoma and Sakwa,Asembo and Yimbo locations in Bondo district and also in both Karemo and Boro Divisions in Siaya district. It has employed additional support staff and workers at the Ndere Ginnery .A kilo of cotton is now fetching 20/- payable in cash money unlike the previous years when payments for cotton delivered by the farmers used to take as long as two years before the payment is effected.

This new trend is expected to encourage larger acreage if high quality cotton in the region and probably further a filed within Nyanza and Western provinces.DFL will then find a market for the cotton lint.

Lake Basin region has a high potential of cotton production .Kenya produced a lot of cotton in the 1950s,1960s,1970s, and 1980s when the cotton industry collapsed .However ,cotton remains an important cash crop in the country and particularly a crop that can boost rural income and alleviate poverty.

Nyanza and Western Provinces are well known for their past record of cotton production particularly in the districts of Busia, Bondo, Siaya, Nyando, Rachuonyo and in the greater region of Southern Nyanza .Despite this fact, Kenya has remained a net importer of cotton from the neighboring countries of Tanzania and Uganda for now close to a decade due to laxity on the parts of people in the higher authorities and policy makers.

The US government has offered a good opportunity for Kenya's textile industry to export cotton textile into the US and yet cotton production in the country is very low.

The objective of the Dominion Farm Limited, a farm in which an American investor Mr. Calvin Burgess has invested close to Kshs 2 billion include development of profitable business and state of the art farm for the African region, poverty reduction through provision of employment and establishment of backward and forward linkages to economic development: increase of crop production for domestic consumption thereby improving food security. Provision of sustainable livelihoods for rural households and provisions of various socio-economic infrastructures in the region.

Other objectives include provision of a locally sustainable supply of cereal grains for consumption by the nation towards self-sufficiency: providing technology transfer to local agriculture and business practices and external capital investment for the government in the rehabilitation and utilization of the high potential YalaSwamp .

DFL is also involved in large scale bee-keeping and the production of top class honey, which is now being sold cheaply to the local community. The honey is laced with anti malarial Artemisia plant and sunflower oil for the protection of the consumers against malaria.

The region is prone to malaria epidemics and when this writer visited the DFL the country director Mr.Grahame Vetch had just completed the distribution of mosquito nets to the local community .A total of 8490 mosquito nets were issued freely to families living within the Yala Swamp and its environs.

About 267 mosquito nets were distributed to families living in Aduwa villages on the Yimbo side of River Yala in Usigu division Bondo district .Another 2670 nets were issued to families living in Bar Olengo villages, 2200 to villagers in Ratuoro and 950 to the Villages in Obambo area. This is part of the DFL good gestures for good community public relations exercise.

DFL has established 160 beehives at Sigulu Hills for the production of honey for which YalaSwamp and its environs have high potential .Already over 150 of these beehives are colonized. A honey processing plant has been established and the firm.

About 470 beehives have been prepared and ready for distribution to the out-growers at an affordable price of Kshs 4,000/-each and it is expected that within the next three years the production of honey at the firm will be the highest in the country.

ENDS

leooderaomolo@yahoo.com