Edible Oil Crops Promotion Project (2023-2027)
AFA, through Nuts and oil Crops Directorate is implementing an edible oil crops promotion project. The project seeks to support availability of affordable and quality inputs, technical support on production, as well as promoting cottage level processing. Sunflower which is widely adapted to almost all ecological zones in the country is one of the crops singled out as a viable alternative towards achieving self-sufficiency and import substitution.
The proposed project will contribute towards creation of employment opportunities in a number of areas including; seed distribution, production, produce aggregation, transportation, warehousing, aggregation and agro-processing. Within the next 5 years, interventions through this project are anticipated to increase domestically produced edible oil from the current 80,000 MT to 240,000 MT, which is an increase of 160,000 MT. This will lead to a production of 1.5 million MT of soy bean, canola and Sunflower seed for use as raw material in oil extraction.
The interventions will also expand the area under edible oil crops across fifteen (15) growing counties from the current 60,000 ha to 250,000ha. The project will promote oil crops in ten (10) non-traditional counties. The productivity which is currently low at an average of 0.3 - 0.5 tonnes/ha will increase to 2.0 tonnes/ha as a result of interventions from this project.