Photo/courtsey
The Ministry of Agriculture is embarking on campaigning for the production of cassava amid a domestic decline in maize and wheat production.Kenya is presently grappling with an acute maize shortage following a dry spell that hit the country late 2016 and 2017 which, affected production.The drought resulted in the decline of maize harvests by close to five million 90-kilogram bags.Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Willy Bett said the ministry has partnered with the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Organisation (Karlo) to distribute imported cassava tuber varieties to small scale farmers.“With climatic change as an emerging phenomenon and its consequences, root and tuber crops offer choices and opportunities as they exhibit higher tolerance threshold to a variety of stresses such as water and heat, water salinity and emergence of new pests,” said Bett on Thursday.Maize and wheat production has persistently fallen below local demand, exposing the country to the volatile international market.Maize flour prices shot up three months ago to a record Sh150 up from Sh92 for two-kilogram packet as millers ran shot of maize to mill.This forced the government to release one million bags of maize from the Strategic Grain Reserve although millers bought only 600,000 bags citing transportation challenges.The Kenya Revenue Authority subsequently opened a maize importation window to allow Kenyans ship in the staple to cushion the product’s local shortage.