The Government has begun preparations to import 25 million 90-kilogram bags of maize in a move aimed at preventing a food shortage and cushioning consumers against possible increases in maize flour prices following an anticipated decline in local production.
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said the planned imports are intended to bridge an estimated 25-million-bag production gap at a time when Kenya requires approximately 75 million bags of maize annually.
“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.
The Government attributes the expected production shortfall to drought and other climate-related challenges that have affected maize production in some of the country’s major agricultural regions.
The imported maize is expected to boost supplies and help shield consumers from significant price increases should local harvests fall below demand.
However, the Government says maize imports are only a short-term intervention, as it pursues longer-term measures to increase domestic food production and strengthen the country’s resilience to drought.
One of the key measures is the expansion of irrigation projects, including the Galana Kulalu scheme, aimed at reducing reliance on rain-fed agriculture and increasing food production even during periods of inadequate rainfall.
The Government also plans to work with the National Treasury to address taxation and bureaucratic challenges affecting farmers and agribusinesses.
Meanwhile, the Government is seeking to attract more young people into agriculture through the AgriConnect Compact Programme.
The programme is designed to increase agricultural productivity, promote value addition and create employment opportunities through agribusiness.
It will also promote digital agriculture, artificial intelligence and modern farming technologies as part of efforts to make the sector more productive and commercially viable.
Kagwe said agriculture must move beyond being viewed as a subsistence activity and instead become a source of jobs, investment and wealth creation, particularly for young people.
The Government says the combination of short-term maize imports and long-term investments in irrigation, technology and agribusiness will help strengthen Kenya’s food security while creating new economic opportunities in the agricultural sector.
