The Kenyan government is betting on mass production of genetically modified cotton to create 50,000 jobs and generate Sh20 billion in apparel export earnings this year as part of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s final term economic revival plan.
The plan, which includes policy review and crafting of new incentive schemes, is also expected to generate 10,000 jobs in the apparel sector, according to Business Daily, a local newspaper.
The Treasury Secretary, Henry Rotich, says in the draft Budgetary Policy Statement that the plan will start with the training of 50,000 youth and women to engage in biotechnology (BT) cotton production.
By the end of 2018, the State expects to have expanded acreage under cotton to 200,000 hectares, up from 29,000 currently.
Source: The Independent