Kenya has opted to commercialise Bt cotton. This is expected to revive the textile industry and promote the economy while creating jobs by 2022. Hybrid cotton is expected to increase production threefold as compared to traditional cotton.

There will be a shift from traditional farming methods. Bt cotton remains confined to field trials. Adoption of technology to produce Bt cotton is seen as one of the solutions that can help the continent produce sufficient cotton and also revive the collapsed sector. Kenya can save on foreign exchange which is spent on imports from neighboring countries like Uganda and Tanzania.

Bt cotton has benefits like reduced exposure to pesticides, reduced spraying, reduced workload and reduced use of water. At present only 40,000 farmers are involved in cotton production instead of the projected 2,00,000. The sector is characterized by a low lint production of 4,000 tons against a market demand of more than 25,000 tons.

Cotton production in Kenya has been on the decline in the past two decades mostly due to neglect of farmers and the collapse of cotton mills following massive imports of second hand clothes. While the country has the capacity to produce 3,68,000 bales annually, it produces less than 30,000 bales.