Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Willy Bett (PHOTO / Nation Media Group)
The Government through the ministry of agriculture says that the sh90 subsidized maize flour stock will be available until the end of the month of since retailers still have large stocks.
The subsidy program of buying a kilogram of maize officially ended on 31 December but retailers will have to finish the current stocks before embarking on new prices.
Agriculture CS Willy Bett says Kenyans should not be afraid of high variation in prices since the country still has enough maize flour.
"Maize is plenty in the country now, making the import subsidy scheme unnecessary,” Agriculture CS Willy Bett said.
However, according to the CS last year's harvest decreased by 20 per cent from 37.1 million bags to 32 million bags to invasion of the army worm in the fertile North Rift region of destroying the crop in Baringo, Kericho, Trans Nzoia, Bungoma, Nandi, Kakamega, Uasin Gishu, Trans Nzoia, Busia, Kakamega and Nakuru counties.
National Cereal and produce board (NCPB) has bought about about a million bags of maize from farmers at a price of sh 3200 per bag in line with president Uhuru Kenyatta's directive after he set aside 6 billion shillings for the produce.
"We have so far been able to buy 945,000 bags of 90kg from the farmers, and with the reduction of the short rains in the last few weeks, farmers have increased deliveries to the depots,” Titus Maiyo said in a recent press briefing.