Government will not import any maize.
Trade cabinet secretary, Moses Kuria has stated that they are no underway plans to import maize.
He however, highlighted that the state will accord individual millers a six month duty free importation of maize.
Kuria stated,”The gazette notice we will release today will open up the market to millers and anyone to import maize duty free for six months. Government will not import any maize.”
The trade CS further pleaded with farmers, who are lucky enough to harvest more than 20 million bags of maize to sell them to millers, in a bid to avoid the deficit of the cereal in the market.
He stated that by this move, the government or individual millers, will have no reason to buy or import maize from outside the country.
He stated,”It is further expected that farmers are about to harvest 35 million bags in the next two weeks. Urgently deliver that to the millers, so they will not need to import.”
“It is estimated that farmers are sitting on 20 million bags of maize. Let them release it to the millers. You can call me if no miller is buying your maize.”
“The March-April-May rains are expected to fall short of expectations. We will keep monitoring what this means for Maize harvests.”
“The Government will not subsidise consumption. It will continue subsidising and supporting production through fertilisers and other farm,” he added.
This come after Nandi senator, Samson Cherargei lamented that importation of maize, will hurt the maize prices in the Kenyan market.
He stated that there’s no need to import maize, since people in the rift valley are currently harvesting and the produce will be surplus.
Cherargei stated,”Our Rift Valley farmers are currently harvesting maize. The importation of maize should stop until the government has mopped up all this year’s crops.”
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