AFA unveils cotton seed milling equipment to enhance local processing

Salome Alwanda and Rodgers Omondi-KNA

The Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) has installed a cotton seed milling machine at Muluanda Cotton Ginnery in Samia Sub-County, Busia, to promote value addition and boost local cotton farming. 

With a milling capacity of 80-kilogramme per hour, the Sh500,000 machine will enhance cotton's value by processing seeds into cotton oil and seed cake.

Speaking during the launch, AFA Director General Dr. Bruno Linyiru stated that the equipment would raise the price of seed cotton due to the production of multiple by-products.

“The increase in value addition will enhance the farm gate price of seed cotton by an estimated 8-11 per cent. This is because there will be three by-products: lint, oil and seed cake. These products will be sold out to textile mills, animal feed manufacturers and paint industries, respectively,” Dr. Linyiru said.

He also revealed that the machine, manufactured locally, is capable of milling other seed crops. 

“We are working with local institutions which have worked on this machine meaning the spare parts will be available locally. This machine can also be used to mill sunflower and other oil crops,” he said.

Dr. Linyiru added that the authority is not only focused on ensuring it reduces reliance on importation of lint and seed cake but also targets to increase the area under cotton cultivation from 40,000 acres in 2024 to 160,000 acres by 2027 and improve productivity from 153 kilogrammes per acre to 900 kilogrammes per acre over the same period.

He outlined government support for cotton value chains, noting the distribution of 1,000 metric tonnes of seeds (OPV and BT varieties) in 2025 for both long rains and short rains. The Busia County's allocation included 125 MT of OPV seeds and 750 kilogrammes of BT seeds alongside pesticide provisions.

 He assured local residents that the government would replace outdated equipment to revive the industry, while providing high-yield seeds and proper pesticides to support farmers and unions.

 Funyula MP Wilberforce Mudenyo urged the residents to do more cotton farming to provide the required quantity of cotton at the ginnery.

"Cotton production in Busia County remains low despite the availability of machinery, and many farmers are elderly. To fully revive and sustain this sector, we must attract more young people to cotton farming. There are jobs, profits, and business opportunities in this industry, that is why I urge our youth to take up cotton farming and secure their future," he said.

The MP encouraged diversification within the textile industry by exploring alternative raw materials like silk and sisal to boost farmers’ livelihoods beyond cotton.

Busia County Chief Officer for Agriculture Elijah Mwaro noted that the number of cotton farmers in the county has been increasing over the past one year.

“We conducted farmer profiling across the county, and we found that 142,000 households are engaged in farming, meaning 85 per cent of Busia’s land is arable,” he said.