Kenya has launched an aggressive push to build a billion-shilling date palm industry across its arid and semi-arid lands as top national and county officials ramp up efforts to commercialize one of the world’s most profitable dryland crops.
In a high-profile tour of Kutch Farm in Kibwezi, Makueni County, Agricultural and Food Authority (AFA) Director General Dr. Bruno Linyiru, COG Chair and Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi and technical teams from KEPHIS and KALRO inspected thriving Indian and Israeli date varieties in a mission aimed at accelerating Kenya’s entry into the global date value chain.
The delegation witnessed trees producing up to 200 kilograms each and reviewed the full production cycle — from selecting male and female palms to pollination, irrigation, harvesting and value addition underscoring the crop’s massive commercial promise for Kenya’s drylands.
The visit comes at a pivotal moment as climate change reshapes traditional production systems and communities in ASAL regions seek more resilient, income-generating alternatives.
Globally, dates are a multi-billion-dollar commodity dominated by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Algeria and the UAE — regions whose heat and low-humidity conditions are almost identical to northern Kenya.
Yet Kenya produced just 1,100 kilograms of dates in 2023 and spent over Ksh 359 million importing the fruit in 2024, despite having natural conditions ideal for production. Officials say this gap represents one of the country’s biggest untapped agricultural opportunities.
At Kutch Farm, the team also reviewed an innovative intercropping model where date palms grow alongside mangoes, pixies, oranges, okra and other horticultural crops, boosting land productivity while providing farmers with diversified income streams.
Experts explained that with proper establishment and water management, date palms can withstand extreme heat, thrive in saline soils and produce commercially for decades, making them one of the most reliable long-term investments for dryland households.
For counties like Wajir, Mandera, Marsabit, Turkana, Garissa, Kitui, Tana River and Makueni, officials say commercial date farming could stabilize household incomes, reduce vulnerability to drought and open new export opportunities.
Dr. Linyiru emphasized that scaling up date palm production is now a strategic national priority: “As climate patterns shift, Kenya must diversify. Date palms are a high-value, drought-tolerant crop perfectly suited for ASAL regions. Our focus is to unlock quality planting material, strengthen value chains and support counties ready to scale.”
The initiative fits squarely within the government’s wider plan to promote high-value crops under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) and the Frontier Counties Development Council (FCDC).
With premium varieties like Medjool fetching up to Ksh 1,200 per kilogram on export markets, a well-managed one-hectare farm can generate Ksh 3.4 to 4.4 million in annual profit once mature, a game-changer for dryland agribusiness.
Momentum is now building toward developing certified nurseries, expanding irrigation infrastructure, training farmers, and establishing processing and packaging hubs that can position Kenya as a competitive regional producer.
If the current drive succeeds, date farming could shift from a niche crop into one of Kenya’s flagship dryland success stories, transforming vast, underutilized landscapes into engines of sustainable prosperity and elevating ASAL counties into major players in the global date industry.
