Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has given maize traders and farmers hoarding grain a 30-day deadline to release stocks to the market, warning that the government will allow duty-free maize imports if supplies remain tight.
Speaking in Sagana on Monday, Kagwe said the government’s first priority is to buy maize from local farmers to replenish the Strategic Grain Reserve (SGR), but hoarding and speculative behaviour are undermining efforts to stabilise maize flour prices.
“Our first option is not to import. Our first option is to buy from our farmers. But as a country, we must stock our reserves and be ready for emergencies,” Kagwe said.
The government is currently purchasing maize at Ksh4,000 per 90kg bag and has set aside Ksh1.7 billion to pay farmers. It aims to immediately buy 1.7 million bags, with a longer-term target of building a reserve of four million bags. However, only about 186,000 bags have been delivered so far.
Kagwe attributed the shortfall to hoarding, noting that early drought conditions are already emerging in parts of the country.
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He warned that if sufficient maize is not delivered to the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) within a month, the government will open the market to duty-free imports, including from non-COMESA countries, to cushion consumers from rising flour prices.
To address post-harvest losses and quality issues, Kagwe said the ministry is rationalising the deployment of more than 60 mobile and immobile maize dryers nationwide.
The dryers will be moved to high-production areas, cooperatives, self-help groups and large-scale farms, while those in low-yield zones will be withdrawn.
He said placing dryers in areas without adequate maize production amounts to misuse of public resources.
Farmers will be allowed to dry maize at NCPB facilities at a minimal maintenance cost, while millers will be permitted to lease dryers to reduce rejection of locally produced maize and cut reliance on imports from neighbouring countries.
By Obegi Malack
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