Kenya plans to import 25 million 90kg bags of maize to cover an expected shortfall and prevent a possible rise in food prices following poor harvests in some of the country’s major maize-growing areas.
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said the government had already started making arrangements for the imports, assuring Kenyans that the country would have enough maize despite the challenges facing farmers.
“We will import maize. We have already made arrangements for that. We will manage the country. The country is not going to go hungry,” Kagwe said.
Kenya consumes about 75 million bags of maize each year. However, reduced production in several food-producing regions is expected to leave a deficit of nearly 25 million bags, with drought and other climate-related challenges affecting harvests.
The planned imports are expected to help maintain maize supplies and protect consumers from possible price fluctuations.
Kagwe said the imports would only address the immediate shortage, while the government works on longer-term measures to improve food production and reduce the impact of climate change on agriculture.
One of the measures is the expansion of irrigation projects, including the Galana Kulalu scheme, which the government expects to help increase production and reduce reliance on rainfall.
There are also plans to collaborate with the National Treasury to help in handling issues concerning taxes and bureaucracy that face farmers and agribusinesses.
The Government is Going For More Jobs in Agriculture
This maize import proposal came as the Ministry of Agriculture embarked on consultations regarding the AgriConnect Compact Programme which has job creation for youth as its core part in transforming the agriculture sector.
According to Kagwe, the new AgriConnect Compact Programme will create jobs for thousands of people as it helps to transform agriculture from the subsistence sector to the commercial one driven by technology.
The consultations took place during the Fifth Joint Consultative Meeting of County Executive Committee Members where people from the national government, county government and the World Bank Group converged.
In the Fifth Joint Consultative Meeting, the participants were reviewing the progress that was being made under the Food Systems Resilience Program (FSRP) and the National Agricultural Value Chain Development Project (NAVCDP) which will eventually graduate to the AgriConnect Compact Programme.
It is clear that there are three core focuses of the new programme that include increased agricultural production, value addition and sustainable jobs in agribusiness.
He said agriculture should be viewed as a business and a source of wealth and employment, rather than an activity people turn to only when they have no other options.
The programme will also promote the use of digital tools, artificial intelligence and other modern farming technologies, with the aim of improving productivity and making agriculture more attractive to young people.
The consultations will allow national and county governments, development partners and other stakeholders to give their views as the government develops a roadmap for the programme and future agricultural policies.
Kagwe was accompanied by Principal Secretary Kipronoh Ronoh Paul, Bungoma Governor Kenneth Makelo Lusaka, Baringo Governor Benjamin Cheboi, Taita Taveta Governor Andrew Mwadime, West Pokot Governor Simon Kachapin, Marsabit Governor Ali Mohamed, Garissa Governor Nathif J. Adam and Migori Governor Ochillo Ayacko, alongside World Bank Group representative Ghada Elabed.