Posted on July, 23, 2019 at 11:35 am
By AGATHA NGOTHO Science Writer - The Star
The Strategic Food Reserve board is reallocating 414,000 bags of maize that millers had not collected.
In May, the government allocated two million bags ( 1.7 million bags for maize flour and 300,000 bags for animal feed) to millers for Sh2,300 per 90kg bag. Of this, only 1.5 million bags had been collected by Friday.
Board chairman Noah Wekesa yesterday said millers willing to buy more can start doing so this week. The maize was released from the National Cereals and Produce Board to cushion Kenyans against high prices of maize flour. A two-kilogramme packet of flour is currently selling at between Sh120 and Sh124.
For the past three weeks, Agriculture Mwangi Kiunjuri and the SFR Wekesa had been embroiled in a tug of war on the amount of maize that should be imported.
On Sunday, DP William Ruto defended Kiunjuri on imports, saying the decision was made by the Cabinet under the chairmanship of President Uhuru Kenyatta.
“I’ve seen many people try to blame Mwangi Kiunjuri that he wants to import maize. No minister has that kind of authority. The CS has been consistent and he has laid the facts. He says there is a reality that there could be a shortage, but this has to be assessed by all the technocrats before a decision is made by the Cabinet,” he said in an interview with K24 TV.
In May, the CS announced millers and traders would be allowed to import 12.5 million bags ( 10 million for white maize and 2.5 million for yellow maize). But on Wednesday last week, he took a different turn on maize from Mexico, saying Kenya would instead import only six million bags from neigbouring countries.
Appearing before the National Assembly Agriculture committee, Kiunjuri said the country will import six million bags from Comesa region and Ethiopia to cushion Kenyans against high unga prices.
MPs from the Rift Valley had accused the CS of creating an artificial shortage to allow cartels to import maize and benefit at the expense of farmers.
Ruto said the debate on the importation is misplaced because the decisions to import or not to import will be made by the government.
“We have managed to stabilise prices to around Sh120 or thereabout and in a few months, we will have a new harvest. We are already receiving grains from our neighbours from Uganda and Tanzania, which is the normal trade,” he said.
The DP emphasised that going forward the government will play a minimal role in matters to do with buying or selling of maize.
“We want this to be determined by the market. Progressively, the government is going to exit. We want prices of maize to be determined by the market forces like other commodities, including tea and coffee. That way, we will take care of both the supply and the consumer end,” he said.
Source: The Star