A farmer at Cheplaskei in Uasin Gishu County harvesting maize. [ photo / Daily nation ]Maize millers have warned on the likelihood of sharp rise in the maize flour prices earlier next year due to lack of enough maize purchase from farmers as even the December 31 deadline for closing of the duty-free import window nears.
Millers began purchasing the local maize produces from farmers at the onset of this years harvesting season so as to build up their stocks but has received a major setback following the low maize production.
“Our members have started buying but we are not getting enough stocks from the farmers and this is likely to create a shortage on our side once the government stops supplying us with the cheap maize,” said Cereal Millers Association in a statement on Wednesday.
Kenya had on May this year started subsidising maize imports to help lower the cost of flour that had sky rocketed to Sh 200 per 2 kilogramme packet following a prolonged drought earlier in the year and an infestation of armyworms that destroyed thousands of acres of land under the maize plant.
The government then began importing maize from outside the country and sold it to millers at a much cheaper price of Sh 2,300 per 90 kilogramme bag despite buying it at above Sh4,000.
The subsidy programme was to last up September but the government pushed deadline to end of the year due to a fear of sharp rise in the flout as result of higher consumer demand.
The government however announced on the mid of this month to supply millers with another 1.8 million bags of maize to enable them run until December.
Data from the national cereals and produce board (NCPB) has shown that only 500,000 maize bags has been received from farmers.
The data had also shown that as of November 14, the total maize stored at the Strategic Food Reserve (SFR) stood at 700,000 bags with another consignment of 1.1 million bags being offloaded at the Port of Mombasa.