Posted on August, 30, 2021 at 01:21 am
Tanzanian exports to Kenya, which include maize, have exceeded imports for the first time in decades and now cereal producers in Kenya are worried that these imports could spell doom for food production in the long run.
“This country should not import what it can produce locally. Because we must not forget that for every metric tonne of grain or some other produce we import, we have in essence exported a few jobs,” said Anthony Kioko, the chief executive of the Cereals Growers Association (CGA).
The association is now calling for a review of bilateral and EAC protocols on food commodities.
According to data from Kenya’s agriculture ministry, the country imported maize valued at Ksh4.2 billion ($38.18 million) from Tanzania in 2019. In 2020, it imported about 277,350 tonnes of maize (3.1 million 90kg bags) with about 95 percent of this coming from Uganda and Tanzania. In January, Kenya imported over 450,000 bags (90kg) of maize from both Tanzania and Uganda and another 300,000 bags in February.
Uganda exports at least 90 percent of its maize to Kenya with a cumulative average of 330,620 tonnes.
Kioko fears that prolonged importation of foodstuffs and related produce, especially maize, has eroded the Kenyan tax base. “It means that it is not just loss of jobs but also erodes the government’s own tax base because enhanced local participation of various actors means more taxes to the government.”
Source: The East African