Barley Farming in Kenya
Kenya Maltings Limited (KML) is a subsidiary company of East African Breweries Limited (EABL). This is where barley production and processing it into malt is done. It is then used for beer production.
Barley growing in Kenya can be traced back to the 1940s when barley was grown as a rotational crop for animal feed. Farming barley for processing started in 1947 when Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL) took interest in the locally grown barley and started buying the product samples that had good brewing qualities to supplement imported one.
Around 1965 KBL introduced a financing scheme to assist farmers who had shown good interest in barley farming. This was aimed at increasing volumes of locally produced barley. The scheme was in the form of seed, fertilizer and free advisory services to the selected farmers.
Around 1970, KBL resolved to attain self-sufficiency in barley production and cut down on importation of malt. To achieve this, the company launched a special scheme in Narok District where 70 percent of the local barley yields were coming from. The Narok barley scheme was operated through agricultural contractors with proven experience in all operations necessary in growing of cereal crops.
The contractors were expected to work with a specified number of farmers and carry out all the operations during the growing cycle. In 1974, the company introduced a bank financing system as opposed to direct financing that existed before then.
The introduction of bank financing led to the establishment of an elaborate field advisory service to ensure that the inputs issued and the financed activities went into the growing of barley and not any other crops. The bank financing approach is still being utilized to date however KML remains the guarantor.
Recruitment of barley farmers
The main barley-growing areas in Kenya are the Mau escarpment, Mt. Kenya region, Nakuru District and Moiben region. The Mau escarpment contributes 60 percent of the total acreage, Timau 20 percent, Moiben 13 percent and Nakuru area 7 percent.
The Agricultural Department of Kenya Maltings Ltd does recruit barley farmers and ensure that the recruited farmers enter into a contract with the company. The signed contract forms the basis on which bank financing is processed for the farmers who qualify. At the moment a cost sharing scheme is in place where financed farmers are to meet the cost of seedbed preparation.
KML offers the farmers inputs based on the recruited acreage. All the farm inputs are bulk purchased before the start of a season to ensure that farmers receive their requirements in good time to avoid delays in planting. The department also offers free advisory services to the farmers from land preparation, planting, crop establishment, and harvesting and barley delivery to the storage facilities.
Barley Harvesting
The company recommends that the harvested barley should be delivered as soon as possible in less than 24 hours to the reception points to avoid spoilage. Currently the reception points are located at the KML WQ on Kampala Road Nairobi, in Nakuru at Lesiolo Grain Handlers (a private grain handling facility) and at the KML Molo plant in Molo town.
At the receiving point each consignment is sampled for quality analysis in the laboratory. Analysis involves the determination of the moisture content, viability, grain size, grain nitrogen and any other unwanted elements. The results are used in grading the consignment for payment purposes, segregation and storage.
After analysis and determination of quality, the barley is passed through a cleaning process to remove all the foreign matters. The barley may then be dried if the moisture levels are high at the time of delivery to moisture levels that are fit for storage. Barley takes between two and three months to break dormancy after which the malting grade barley can be used for malt production.
Barley varieties
A barley research section was established in 1975 mainly to deal with some of the agronomic problems that were being experienced in the Mau escarpment and to specifically breed high yielding varieties. The mandate of the research department has enlarged since then and at the moment the department is involved in variety improvement, agronomic recommendations, pest and disease control, seed multiplication and collaborative research.
The Research
Department has released a total of eight varieties however only three are under cultivation. These are Sabini, Karne and Nguzo varieties. All the cultivated barley varieties in Kenya have been developed through the conventional breeding procedures.
There are no genetically modified barley varieties in production or in the KLM’s variety improvement program. The company has no plans to introduce any GMO barley in its research activities at the moment.
Small-scale farmers
Small-scale farmers form approximately 15 percent of the barley farming community. Most of these farmers are not as knowledgeable as the large-scale farmers. However, the free advisory services offered by the agricultural department, has seen the performance of such farmers improve with time.
The research findings are compiled into a package of recommendation that is available to all barley farmers. Information on any new developments in barley farming and barley growing policies is also passed to the farmers through farmers open days and seminars.
KLM Achievements
KML has remained supportive of the barley farming community in Kenya. The company has invested millions of shillings in barley research and advisory services in an effort to improve the standards of barley farming in Kenya. The free advisory services offered by the company has helped barley farmers adopt modern farming practices that has led to improved methods of soil conservation, better crop husbandry and safe use of recommended pesticides.
Through training and farmer open days KML ensures that barley farmers are informed of any new developments in barley farming. This has assisted in improving barley yields from approximately 1 ton per ha in mid 70s to above 4 tons per ha today.
Supporting Barley farming
The company continues to negotiate and provide subsidized loans to barley farmers thus easing the load on farmers during crop development and better returns at the end of the season. Over 1.2 billion shillings is paid to barley farmers, contractors and transporters. The Company supports the communities in the barley growing areas in the maintenance of roads, schools, hospitals and improving the general living standards of the barley farming community.
It is estimated that over 100,000 Kenyans benefit directly or indirectly from barley farming. The figure is expected to go up as the acreage under barley increases. KML will continue to support barley farming in Kenya despite the strong competition from cheap barley in the international market. It is expected that barley farming will grow with the projected increase in the demand for barley locally hence farmers with the capacity to grow barley are welcome to join the barley farming community.
