Posted on August, 2, 2017 at 11:33 am
The food situation in the country has improved in the last three months, thanks to sustained imports by the government and improved harvest from various regions. A report from the Ministry of Agriculture released yesterday indicates that since mid-June to end of July, the food granaries have improved to 5.61 million bags.
Director of crops Dr Johnson Irungu says harvesting of the 2017 long rains crop is currently ongoing in Central, Eastern and coastal regions. Ongoing crop harvests and sustained imports will stabilise the food situation until mid-October when peak harvest is expected.
To ensure Kenyans continue to enjoy the Sh90 subsidised maize flour, Government has extended duty waiver of white maize to end of September and yellow maize to end of June 2018.
“Although production is below expectation, food supplies have improved at household level and at the market outlets in the non-Arid and Semi-Arid Land areas. Prices of major staples, that is, maize, beans, Irish potatoes and fresh vegetable though relatively high are on a downward trend,” says Irungu.
He said in the month of July the country imported 2.8 million bags of maize. Farmers are holding about 2.95 million bags of maize, traders and millers’ 1.4 million bags, and National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) 1.26 million bags. Beans stocks stand at 3.5 million bags, wheat 950,000 bags and rice 607,000 bags.
He said a 90-kilogramme maize bag is retailing at between Sh2, 600 and Sh4, 800 per bag with national average being Sh3, 800 accounting an increase of 29.4 per cent from Sh2, 935 registered in July 2016.
The food report states prices are high in Kisumu at Sh4, 800 and lowest at Kitui where a bag is retailing at Sh2, 600. “Fresh Irish potatoes are available in local markets and price has come down from an average of Sh2,990 in June to about Sh2, 600 per 110kg bag currently, and should decline further with improved supplies,” he added.
According to the food report situation of April 2017, a 90-kilogramme of white averaged Sh4, 554 and further increased to Sh 4,912 in May before stabilising at Sh3, 800 in July. In April, Busia had the highest price at Sh5,625 and Eldoret at Sh3,687.
The April food report predicted a 4.25 million deficit as at August 31, 2017. Irungu stated that government will continue to import to tame the deficit until mid–October. The prices of milled maize flour increased from Sh109 in December 2016 to stabilise at an average price of 125 to 128 between January and April.
Source: MediaMax Network