Maize Flour Prices Likely To Stabilize As Maize Prices Downs

By Jane Muia / Published August 8, 2022 | 10:40 am

KEY POINTS

The country has also received consignments from Zambia and Tanzania after the countries experience a bumper harvest.

This will see the price of maize drop to 5,800 shillings from an average of 6,000 shillings, with the benefits passed consequently to the consumers of the staple.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

In Eldoret, Kisumu, and Nakuru, a 90 kg bag of maize is now selling at 5,600, 5,400, and 5,600 shillings respectively, from a high of 6,000, and 5,900 shillings.

Kenyans can now breathe a sigh of relief after the prices of maize decline following a good supply from farmers who have finalized harvesting.

“We’re currently receiving maize from Narok, Bomet, and other parts of South Rift. The harvest of the crop in Nyanza and former Western Province has boosted our operations,” Kipng’etich Mutai, chairman of the Grain Belt Millers Association said.

The country has also received consignments from Zambia and Tanzania after the countries experience a bumper harvest. This will see the price of maize drop to 5,800 shillings from an average of 6,000 shillings, with the benefits passed consequently to the consumers of the staple.

In Eldoret, Kisumu, and Nakuru, a 90 kg bag of maize is now selling at 5,600, 5,400, and 5,600 shillings respectively, from a high of 6,000, and 5,900 shillings.

Maize shortage in the country was named one of the key drivers of the high cost of maize flour which has been on a rising spree in the last couple of months. With the price fall, it means that the prices of maize flour are also likely to contract.

This will also ease the implementation of the government’s 4-week subsidy plan that is seeking to ensure the commodity is highly accessible to consumers who have been struggling with the high cost of common goods.

Despite the Government’s assurance that the commodity will be highly accessible, millers say that they are still experiencing late payments from supermarkets. This has led to a scarcity of the commodity on supermarket shelves with others having a few brands of premium flours that do not fall under the subsidy program.

As a result, Crops Development and agricultural Research PS Francis Owino ordered retailers to cut down the time they take to pay millers from 45 days to at least two days in a fresh bid to ensure the commodity is highly accessible to the consumers.

According to the ministry of agriculture, 129 millers gave a nod to the Ksh 100 per 2kg packet subsidy program, and 160 million shillings have already been paid to the millers for the program. The ministry says that under the program only 3. 2 million kilos of maize flour have been supplied to the supermarkets.