A shopper at a local supermarket checking the price of maize flour. [PHOTO/nation.co.ke]Agriculture Principal Secretary Richard Lesiyampe has attributed the flour shortage in the market to panic buying by shoppers.
This comes one week since the government introduced the Sh90 subsidised maize flour, but many shops’ shelves are still empty.
“Consumers should stop panic buying and then start complaining of lack of enough maize flour in the market. I can assure there is enough to sustain the country until end of September,’’ he said on Tuesday.
Cereal Millers Association chairman Nick Hutchison said millers have been playing their part and milling whatever maize they get and releasing it to the market.
“The problem is that Kenyans are aggressive shoppers and are not convinced that the cheap unga will last, hence the rush-buying,” he said, according to the Star.
He said issues of supply chain take time and that consumers should be patient. Millers will be meeting later in the week to evaluate the progress.