Kenyans to pay more for maize as prices go up

The retail price of maize rises to 4,200 Kenyan shillings per 90 kilogram bag from 4,000 Kenyan shillings last week on Tuesday. Millers blame the rise on farmers and traders for demanding for higher prices for their produce.

In the last ten years, the current maize retail price is the highest that millers have ever paid for a 90 kilogram bag of maize. This situation is will add pain to the consumers and continue to escalate the rate of inflation figures.

The Cereal Millers Association vice chairman Mohamed Islam said in an interview that even with the high prices being offered, millers are unable to get stocks from the farmers and traders. They have totally run out of maize.

For a miller to operate optimally, millers require 50.000 bags of maize daily. Most millers now operate below their targets because of low supply of maize. The situation is expected to get worse with the government still hesitating and delaying to import white maize from Mexico saying that the farmers and traders are still hoarding maize.

The agricultural secretary Bett said that the government had the plans to import maize but have delayed to keep an eye on the current situation given that there’s enough maize in the country if not for the fact that farmers and traders are still holding large stocks of maize. He said this basing on the recent food situation report that was recently released.

According to the report, the stocks held by farmers stands at ten million bags of maize, traders at 2.7 million bags, millers at 993,637 bags and NCPB at 1.4 million as at the end of January. The food balance sheet report indicates that Kenya had 15 million bags of maize as at January 31.

The impact of the maize shortage on the Kenyan economy is visible. This situation will have an impression on the inflation rate and the general county’s economy.

Will this situation lead the country into more devastating state put into consideration that most parts of the country are hunger stricken?

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Written by Amina Martha.