This archive report was first published on 4 July 2019.
Kenya's Treasury has announced plans to import 12.5 million bags of duty-free maize to address a shortage that has driven up flour prices to Ksh125 ($1.22) per two-kg packet.
According to Andrew Tuimur, the Chief Administrative Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, the imports are expected to start at the end of July and last until the end of October, in time for the next harvest.
The importation will be done by private companies, with 10 million bags earmarked for white maize for household consumption and 2.5 million for yellow maize for processing of animal feeds.
Dr. Tuimur assured the Senate committee on Agriculture that the country currently has enough maize stock to last until the end of July, but is considering importation to see the country through the period from August to November.
He ruled out offering a subsidy to maize millers, citing the irregular import of the grain last year that caused an uproar from maize farmers who suffered a prolonged slump in prices.
Dr. Tuimur also stated that the country currently has 2 million bags of maize in the Strategic Food Reserve (SFR), out of which 1.5 million will be available to millers if they exhaust their stocks.
Millers have bought 70 percent of the 1.7 million bags of maize that the government offered them, with another 300,000 set aside for animal feeds.
As of now, the price of a bag of maize ranges between Ksh2,500 ($25) and Ksh3,600 ($36), while the 2kg maize flour packet is retailing at between Ksh113 ($1.10) and Ksh125 ($1.22), up from Ksh80 ($0.8) to Ksh95 ($0.93) at the start of April.
