Kenya promotes date farming in arid regions to cut imports

The government has launched a fresh push to turn its arid and semi-arid regions into a commercial date-growing zone, betting on a crop that thrives in heat and could cut costly imports. Speaking during an inspection tour in Makueni county, officials say the crop’s resilience and strong global demand make it a natural fit for northern and eastern counties.Despite having ideal conditions, Kenya produced just over a tonne of dates last year and spent more than 350 million shillings on imports.