Aiden k 
Agriculture-Cabinet-Secretary-Mutahi-Kagwe
- CS Kagwe Weighs CMA Request for Duty-Free 3Million MT White Maize as Kenya faces 7-Year Production Low;
At the same time, CS Kagwe said the Government is already keen on gazetting the importation of 360,000MT of yellow maize specifically for animal-feed manufacturing, in a move aimed at reducing pressure on the country’s white maize supplies.
The yellow maize intervention would shift animal-feed manufacturers away from white maize, leaving more food-grade white maize available for human consumption and reducing competition between millers and feed manufacturers.
“This is the steepest decline in production and it is huge for us,” Fernandes told a grain-sector meeting convened by CS Kagwe.
She said the country is facing a seven-year low in maize production, with only six major producing counties expected to deliver more than one million bags this season.
CS Kagwe backed consideration of the nine-month window, saying the Government must act early to ensure sufficient supplies.
“We cannot afford not to have maize,” CS Kagwe said.
The Government and millers are already exploring potential sources, with Zambia and Tanzania emerging among the immediate regional options.
“There is enough maize,” the High Commissioner said, pledging to link the industry with Kenyan traders operating in Zambia and Malawi.
CS Kagwe called for engagement with the Zambian Government to explore how the source price could be lowered to offset the relatively high cost of transporting maize into Kenya.
“Engage the Government in Zambia, Balozi, to bring down the cost of maize,” CS Kagwe said.
Transport remains a major challenge in making Zambian maize competitive once it reaches Kenya.
CMA also cautioned that Tanzania can impose export restrictions whenever its own stocks tighten, potentially affecting supplies from Tanzania as well as maize moving from Zambia through Tanzanian routes.
Fernandes therefore urged the Government to give importers sufficient flexibility to source white maize from alternative international markets where necessary,reducing Kenya’s exposure to regional supply and logistics disruptions.
While the white maize duty waiver remains a CMA proposal under Government consideration,CS Kagwe indicated that the Government is already keen on the 360,000MT yellow maize gazettement for animal-feed manufacturing.
The yellow maize intervention would directly address pressure on Kenya’s white maize market by reducing demand for white maize from feed manufacturers and freeing more supplies for human consumption and unga production.
CS Kagwe,however, stressed that efforts to increase supply and lower costs cannot compromise food safety.
“Do not bring maize that is not going to pass the tests. There should be no maize in our stores that has been condemned,” CS Kagwe said.
CS Kagwe also pushed for rapid laboratory testing capable of establishing maize quality within about 10 minutes, replacing procedures that can take four hours or, in some cases, days.
The CS further called for one-stop border processes to cut clearance delays of between three and five days, saying inefficiencies increase transport, storage and financing costs which are ultimately passed on to consumers.
“Government must operate at the same pace as the private sector for efficiency,” CS Kagwe said.
The Government is simultaneously seeking to strengthen the country’s grain reserves.
“We want to stock our grain reserve,” CS Kagwe said.
Millers also asked the Government to settle approximately KSh4 billion they say remains outstanding from a subsidy programme implemented about five years ago, saying the funds would help strengthen their capacity to restock.
The maize challenge is unfolding alongside pressure in the wheat sector,exposing Kenya to simultaneous risks involving two major staples.
Views: 5
