Agriculture CS Willy Bett. Photo/the-star.co.ke
Agriculture CS Willy Bett has said that the current maize shortage in the country was caused by a reduction in the amount of white maize grown worldwide.
According to Bett, teh shortage led to consumption of yellow & GMO maize.
Bett was speaking when he appeared before the National Assembly committee, chaired by Adan Noor.
Kenya was not the only country affected as Zimbambwe was also forced to import maize early this year and also blamed the shortage on a decline in rainfall.
"We learnt that farmers were hoarding the produce and we could not import maize from Uganda or any other neighbouring country because they were supplying South Sudan," he said.
The CS was however at pains to explain how the government got to know that farmers were hoarding maize.
"I made it clear we had food till May. I said farmers were hoarding 10 million bags, traders 2 million and millers 900,000 bags," he said.
The shortage led to imporation of maize from Mexico.