The government has halved import duty on maize in a strategic move to allow the importation of at least 5.5 million bags of non-GMO yellow maize, aimed at easing the country’s growing grain shortage and curbing a sharp rise in prices.
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said the price of maize has surged by 26 percent over the past three months, driven by rising demand from both human food consumption and animal feed production.
Kagwe clarified that while there is sufficient white maize stock for human consumption, increased competition from the animal feed industry has escalated retail prices. To address this, the government will facilitate the importation of yellow maize—specifically for animal feed—through a vetted list of qualified millers with adequate capacity.“The objective is to reduce pressure on local white maize stocks by shifting animal feed millers to yellow maize,” Kagwe said, adding that the yellow maize importation will span the next 12 months.
To further cushion consumers, Kagwe noted that an unspecified volume of maize is currently being released from the National Strategic Food Reserve to support flour milling for domestic use.
The CS also urged farmers to consider growing yellow maize, pointing out that the animal feed industry requires over 1 million metric tonnes annually. Encouraging local production could reduce dependency on imports and stabilize the market in the long term.
