Kenya is weighing a proposal to allow the duty-free importation of 3 million tonnes of white maize as the country faces a seven-year low in maize production, raising concerns over supplies and the cost of unga.
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said the Government is considering a request by the Cereal Millers Association (CMA) for the large-scale importation of white maize, as authorities move to secure adequate stocks for human consumption.
The proposal comes against the backdrop of a sharp decline in domestic maize production, with CMA warning that only six major producing counties are expected to deliver more than one million bags during the current season.
CMA CEO Paloma Fernandes described the decline as the steepest production fall in years, underscoring the growing pressure on Kenya’s maize supply.
“This is the steepest decline in production and it is huge for us,” Fernandes said during a grain-sector meeting convened by Kagwe.
Why Kenya wants 3 million tonnes of maize
The CMA wants the Government to gazette 3 million tonnes of white maize for duty-free importation, arguing that the measure would lower the landed cost of maize, expand sourcing options and help millers maintain affordable unga prices.
The association is also seeking a nine-month duty-free window, saying importers need sufficient time to negotiate supply contracts, secure financing and arrange shipments.
Kagwe indicated that the Government is open to considering the longer window, signalling an effort to secure maize supplies before shortages worsen.
“We cannot afford not to have maize,” the CS said.
For Kenya’s consumers, the key issue is whether increased imports can provide enough maize to prevent further pressure on maize flour prices.
Zambia and Tanzania emerge as key suppliers
Zambia and Tanzania are being considered among the immediate sources of imported maize.
Kenya’s High Commissioner to Zambia, Lilian Tomitom, told the meeting that Zambia has maize available and that Kenyan traders operating in Zambia and Malawi are positioned to facilitate supplies to local millers.
“There is enough maize,” Tomitom said.
However, the cost of transporting maize from Zambia to Kenya remains a major challenge. Kagwe has called for discussions with the Zambian Government to explore ways of reducing the source price and offsetting transport costs.
Tanzania presents another potential source, but the CMA has warned that its ability to supply Kenya could be affected if its domestic stocks tighten and the country imposes export restrictions.
The association is consequently pushing for flexibility that would allow Kenyan millers to source white maize from international markets when regional supplies become constrained.
Government targets animal-feed demand
Alongside the proposed 3 million-tonne white-maize import, the Government is considering gazetting 360,000 tonnes of yellow maize for animal-feed manufacturing.
The intervention is intended to shift feed manufacturers away from white maize, which is also heavily demanded by millers producing food for human consumption.
By increasing access to yellow maize for the feed industry, the Government hopes to reduce competition for white maize and free up more food-grade maize for human consumption.
The two measures would therefore tackle Kenya’s maize supply problem from different directions: additional white maize would directly support millers, while yellow maize would reduce demand pressure from the animal-feed sector.
Kagwe warns against unsafe maize imports
Kagwe stressed that efforts to increase maize supplies must not compromise food safety.
All imported maize will be required to meet Kenya’s sanitary and phytosanitary requirements, particularly standards covering moisture levels and aflatoxin contamination.
The CS warned against allowing contaminated maize into the country, saying supplies that fail quality tests should not enter Kenya’s storage system.
Kagwe has also called for faster laboratory testing, arguing that maize quality should be established within about 10 minutes rather than through procedures that can take four hours or, in some cases, several days.
He further wants border agencies to adopt one-stop clearance procedures to reduce delays of between three and five days.
Such delays increase transportation, storage and financing costs, which can ultimately increase the price paid by consumers.
“Government must operate at the same pace as the private sector for efficiency,” Kagwe said.
Kenya moves to strengthen grain reserves
The Government is simultaneously seeking to strengthen national grain reserves as it prepares for tighter maize supplies.
The National Cereals and Produce Board has indicated that storage capacity equivalent to approximately two million 90kg bags is available.
The proposed duty-free importation of 3 million tonnes would, however, represent a significantly larger intervention aimed at ensuring the country has sufficient maize during a period of sharply reduced domestic production.
The immediate focus now is whether the Government will approve the CMA’s import request and whether the proposed nine-month duty-free window will be adopted.
With local maize production at a seven-year low, the decision could determine the availability and affordability of maize flour in Kenya in the months ahead.
