MOMBASA, KENYA – The government has launched a major regulatory overhaul of the Bixa industry, aiming to triple export earnings for coastal farmers and break the stranglehold of exploitative middlemen who have historically crippled the sector.

The newly unveiled Crops (Bixa) Regulations, 2025, are designed to formalize a sub-sector that has left thousands of farmers in Kwale and Lamu counties at the mercy of volatile prices and predatory brokers for decades. For generations, farmers of Bixa, locally known as 'Mrangi', have navigated a chaotic market, with prices swinging from a high of KES 120 to a desperate low of KES 10 per kilo, making it impossible to plan for the future or earn a stable livelihood. These new rules, rolled out by the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA), seek to inject stability and transparency into the value chain, directly impacting the economic future of a key cash crop for the coastal region.

For farmers like Pantaleo Musyoka Nzomo from Kwale County, who has been cultivating the crop since 1967, the journey has been one of uncertainty. "At one point, a kilo of Bixa rose to KES 100, then it dropped to KES 45, and later settled at KES 10," he recalled in a past interview. "Nobody explained why the price plummeted. That was the time some farmers decided to abandon the crop." This chaotic environment allowed middlemen to flourish, buying the crop for a pittance and selling it on for significant profit, a challenge these new regulations aim to eliminate.

A Framework for Growth

The regulations introduce a structured framework for the entire Bixa value chain, from production and processing to quality assurance and marketing. AFA Director-General, Dr. Bruno Linyiru, emphasized that the era of an informal, unstructured Bixa market is over. "In the past, the sector lacked standardised production and processing practices, and farmers lacked clear marketing channels due to the absence of contractual farming," Dr. Linyiru noted during the launch in Mombasa.

The government's intervention is backed by promising economic data. Despite the historical challenges, Bixa's annual export value grew from KES 0.67 billion in 2022 to KES 0.957 billion in 2024. During the same period, the acreage under Bixa cultivation increased by 40 per cent, from 2,500 to 3,508 acres, signaling renewed farmer confidence.

Key provisions of the new regulations include:

• Formal Licensing and Traceability: Establishing clear frameworks for licensing and tracing the product from farm to market.
• Quality Assurance: Ensuring standardized production and processing to meet high-value export market requirements.
• Structured Marketing: Moving away from informal channels to promote contractual farming and direct market linkages.
• Export Levies: Introducing a 1% levy on processed Bixa exports and a 3% levy on raw Bixa exports to fund the development of the sub-sector.

From Lipstick Tree to Economic Lifeline

Bixa, also known as the 'lipstick tree' for its vibrant red seeds, is the source of Annatto, the world's second most important natural food colourant. It is in high demand globally across the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. Kenya holds a unique agro-ecological advantage for its cultivation, particularly in coastal counties like Lamu, Kwale, Tana River, and Kilifi.

The new regulations are not merely about compliance; they represent a coordinated national effort to unlock the full potential of this high-value, climate-resilient crop. For farmers who have persevered through decades of price uncertainty, like Mwaura Ndung'u in Mpeketoni, Lamu, who remembers when a kilo fetched at least KES 120, this change is long overdue. "Today, you are lucky if you get a broker buying a kilo at KES 20," he lamented. "But even with the low prices, I will not uproot it because I know some day the situation will change for the better."

With the enforcement of these new rules, that day may have finally arrived. Dr. Linyiru expressed confidence that the reforms will stimulate rural enterprises, create jobs for youth and women, and significantly boost farmer incomes, turning the 'lipstick tree' into a reliable economic lifeline for thousands of Kenyan families.