The government has initiated talks with countries in the COMESA region having bumper maize harvests to access cheap maize for the local market.
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya said that the new measures the government has put in place to address the shortage of cereal grain will be fast-tracked in order to facilitate millers and traders to import the cereal
“We are in talks with the governments of Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia on how to address logistical challenges and low volumes being imported by the value chain players. Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya
Speaking at the Horticultural Crops Directorate after a groundbreaking ceremony for a hot water treatment facility at JKIA, the CS said the ongoing negotiations will complement the duty waiver that the government announced last week for imported cereal
Last week, the CS announced a three-month duty waiver for all imported maize as part of measures to curb skyrocketing food prices consumers are grappling with in the market.
He noted that the maize imports from Zambia could get to the country in the coming two weeks since the discussions are at an advanced stage.
“I am positive that Kenya will be able to import and get maize from Zambia as the trucking of maize takes between seven and 10 days to reach Kenya. Besides duty waiver on imports, the Government is putting in other additional measures to see to it that the price of Unga comes down. We are discussing logistics and a ring-fencing of quantities that would satisfy our demand here,” Peter Munya
