Government suspends import duty, levies on maize
National
By
David Njaaga
| Jul 01, 2022
The government has suspended all import duty and levies on maize and animal feed for the next two months.
Government Spokesperson Cyrus Oguna on Friday, July 1, said the waiver would only be valid for the months of July and August 2022.
“Individual businessmen are free to bring in the maize to bridge the anticipated deficit of 2.2 million bags. The waiver is only for 540,000 metric tons of white maize,” Oguna announced.
The move, he said, is to cushion Kenyans against the high cost of living and help boost food security.
According to Oguna, the high cost of living has been occasioned by unforeseen factors including the Covid-19 pandemic, prolonged drought characterised by invasion of locusts in some parts of the country leading to poor harvests, the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict that has destabilized global markets, and the value of the shilling against the dollar.
He however said the government was considering importing wheat from alternative market mostly the USA, Argentina and Brazil.
To mitigate the effects of cost of living, the government deployed stabilization program to cushion Kenyans against the volatility in fuel prices.
Oguna said the government paid Sh45.93 billion under the fuel subsidy program.
“A further Sh20.85 billion was paid mid last month, thereby making the pump prices in the country the lowest in the region,”he said.