Quality
Here's what makes our rice special
Quality is at the heart of everything we do - from the agriculture methods to the preparing the final product.
Seed selection
The two varieties planted were sourced from Ahero Irrigation Research Station. https://www.nib.or.ke/research/ahero-irrigation-research-center.
The varieties are not genetically modified and have good cooking quality. The varieties are:
• IR2793 (Non-Aromatic)
• Basmati 370 (Aromatic)
Seed selection is done by placing seeds in a bowl of water mixed with salt. Non-viable seeds will float and are removed. The viable seeds, those that sink, are washed to remove salt and then soaked in clear water before being sowed.
Fertilizer and pest control
Farmers are provided with basal fertilizer, top dressing fertilizer, foliar feed, fungicides and insecticides to ensure that they get maximum yield possible. Field schools are conducted to explain to farmers how to use the chemicals.
• NPK 17.17.0 - for basal Application
• SA - for top dressing
• Agrofeed - a foliar feed and plant booster
Pesticides given to farmers:
Sulban - a contact insecticide for controlling insects that directly damage the crop and those that act as vectors of diseases.
Pearl – a broad spectrum systemic fungicide for controlling fungal diseases. It has both protective and curative action.
Land preparation and Sowing
The field is soaked with water then rotivated. The field is then levelled before transplanting is done.
Seeds are sowed at low density on a well prepared nursery bed.
Transplanting is done when the seedlings are 8 – 15 days old, where one seedling is planted per hill at a spacing of 25cm by 25cm. This ensures the plant produces more tillers with stronger stalks. Ropes are used to plant the crop in line. Weeding is largely done by hand.
Harvesting
This is the collection of mature rice crop from the field. Harvesting involves cutting, hauling, stacking, threshing and cleaning and is done carefully by hand. After cleaning, rice is bagged and transported to where it will be dried.
Drying
Farmers do the drying either in the nearby school compound, on common ground within their village or they take their rice to the National Irrigation Board drying floor. During drying, moisture content is tested with a moisture and continued until the water content is reduced to a level that is safe for storage - 14% moisture content or lower.
Milling
Milling is done at Western Kenya Rice Mill. It involves removal of husk and bran to produce white rice and grading of the rice so that only the top quality rice is sold as such.
