Maize shortage of 10m bags blamed on poor rainfall

By ANTONY GITONGA

KENYA: Kenya will suffer a shortfall of over 10 million bags of maize due to poor rains and drought that has ravaged various areas.

According to Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Felix Koskei, the country’s annual maize production will fall from 42 million bags to 32 million bags, adversely affecting food security.

The announcement comes a week after the Food and Agriculture Organisation ((FAO) issued an alert over food shortage in the country come next year.

Koskei was, however, quick to note that the government had put in place measures to address the impending food scarcity. He said plans were underway to import maize from neighbouring countries, adding that the shortage would only last for two months.

“The poor rains have affected production but we want to diversify to rice production whose annual growth is now at 20 per cent,” he said.

Koskei was addressing the Press at a Naivasha hotel after opening the national conference on sustainable land management.

He noted that arid and semi-arid lands contributed to 80 per cent of the country’s land mass and had enormous potential that lay untapped.