Packets of Maize flour and Wheat flour at the supermarket. [ photo / Hivisasa.]
The wheat flour prices could soon rise following the delays in offloading of 300,000 tonnes of imported wheat that is stuck at Mombasa port for the last three months. According to millers, the slow offloading will negatively impact the wheat prices by causing a wheat shortage in the industries due to the high demand for wheat flour as the country heads to the December festive season.“About eight vessels are stuck at the port with over 300,000 tonnes of wheat. This will take another month to discharge and it is likely to have the negative impact on prices due to increased demand as we head towards Christmas,” quoted one of the millers in an interview with Business daily.The imported wheat arrived at the port on November 6 with the discharge being speculated to be done on December 3 due to the rains that are slowing the offloading process. Kenyans have been experiencing increasing wheat flour prices since July with Exe flour currently going at Sh 138 an increase from Sh133, Golden brand is selling at Sh133 up from Sh129. The Ministry of Agriculture had however attributed the rise to poor harvest witnessed during the last harvesting season. Kenya produces insufficient wheat to meet the local demand and thus relies on import bringing in about two thirds ( 350,000 tonnes) of the total annual wheat consumption of 900,000 tonnes.The government has been restricting the millers on importing wheat during the harvesting season while advising them to mop up the local crop first before importing.