Come September, we are likely to see yet another failed maize harvest in marginal areas, and low production in the Rift Valley and Central provinces. Three weeks without rain have raised concerns about production in the ‘grain-basket’.
The long rains season (March-May), which usually accounts for 80 per cent of total annual food production, has been poor so the threat of crop failure is high. This follows what the World Food Programme described as a "pitiful crop" early this year, due to weak October to December short rains. For many areas, this is the fourth consecutive season rainfall has been below normal.
With such uncertainty looming ahead of us, and with maize meal prices 133 per cent higher today than they were a year ago, one would expect measures to be taken to safeguard what is left of the North Rift’s harvest. It, therefore, is disturbing to read of green maize harvesting on a large scale. Last year, middlemen paid farmers Sh25-35,000 for each acre of immature maize, in some cases offering labour for the harvest. If Government is to prevent this recurring, it must offer competitive prices early enough and not wait to have its hand forced by a crisis as was the case last year.
Last Resort
It would also be advisable to give purchasers of green maize, usually intending to use it for silage, cost-effective alternatives.
Leaving the matter entirely to market forces or intervening only as a last resort proved unwise last year. We hope lessons were learned and the Government has its strategy in order this time.
