State has no plan to import maize, says Minister

By Luke Anami

The Government has refuted reports it plans to import more than 67,000 tonnes of maize in the first half of this year.

Instead, Agriculture Assistant Minister Gideon Ndambuki said it would rely on locally harvested maize, which it said is adequate to meet national demand for the period to June.

"Those saying that the Government is planning to import maize are misleading. We have enough maize. The North Rift farmers are selling to the Government, while in parts of Eastern harvesting is going on," Ndambuki said.

At the same time, the ministry said it would keep buying a 90kg bag of maize at higher prices of Sh3,000 for farmers recover money spent during the planting season of the current crop, which were relatively high, given the high prices of fuel and a weak shilling.

Maize prices have in the recent past come down from highs of Sh4,200 in July last year to current levels of Sh3,000, which is still relatively high compared to prices in January last year where a 90kg bag sold in the Sh2,000 range.

"National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) was given about Sh1 billion. That is why they have managed to get 600,000 bags. They get money as to when they require basis. NCPB on behalf of Government will continue buying a 90kg bag of maize at Sh3,000," Ndambuki explained.

"We also have a Warehouse Receipt system where you can take your grains for storage."

PS Romano Kiome refuted claims from farmers in the North Rift that NCPB had stopped purchasing maize from them, thus affecting the Strategic Grain Reserves (SGR).

Kiome explained that the eight million bags of maize in the SGR is both in the form of grains and money as storage of grains is sometimes a challenge.

"We have 2.6 million bags of grains in the SGR. We could be able to get up to about four million bags that could serve us up to three months incase of famine. Money is being provided for (to NCPB) by Treasury as is when it becomes available," Dr Kiome said.

"Anytime we say that that is what we have in store, please bear in mind that it is both in the form of grains and money. Therefore don’t cause alarm because we can’t store all the grain."