Kenya is considering a request by the Cereal Millers Association (CMA) to allow the duty-free importation of three million tonnes of white maize as the country grapples with a sharp decline in domestic production and rising pressure on unga prices.
Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Sen. Mutahi Kagwe said the Government is weighing the proposal as part of measures to secure adequate maize supplies and protect consumers from further price increases.
CMA has asked the Government to gazette three million tonnes of white maize for duty-free importation, arguing that the waiver would lower the cost of imported grain, widen sourcing options and help millers maintain affordable maize flour prices.
CMA chief executive Paloma Fernandes said Kenya is facing its steepest maize production decline in years, with only six major producing counties expected to produce more than one million bags during the current season.
“This is the steepest decline in production and it is huge for us,” Fernandes told a grain-sector meeting convened by CS Kagwe.
The millers’ association wants the duty-free import window to remain open for nine months, saying a longer period would give importers enough time to secure supply contracts, arrange financing and organise shipments. It would also allow millers to source competitively priced, non-GMO white maize from regional and international markets.
CS Kagwe backed consideration of the nine-month window, saying the Government needs to act early to avoid shortages.
“We cannot afford not to have maize,” he said.
Zambia and Tanzania have emerged as immediate regional sourcing options, with Kenya’s High Commissioner to Zambia, Lilian Tomitom, confirming that Zambia has maize available. She said Kenyan traders operating in Zambia and Malawi are ready to facilitate supplies to Kenyan millers.
“There is enough maize,” Tomitom said.
However, transport costs could make Zambian maize expensive in the Kenyan market. CS Kagwe called for discussions with the Zambian Government to reduce the source price and help offset the high cost of transporting the grain to Kenya.
CMA also warned that Tanzania could impose export restrictions if its domestic stocks tighten, potentially disrupting supplies from Tanzania and maize transported from Zambia through Tanzanian routes. Fernandes therefore urged the Government to allow importers flexibility to source from alternative international markets.
At the same time, the Government is seeking to gazette 360,000 tonnes of yellow maize specifically for animal-feed manufacturing. The measure is intended to encourage feed manufacturers to shift away from white maize, freeing more food-grade maize for human consumption and reducing competition between millers and the livestock-feed industry.
CS Kagwe stressed that increased imports must not compromise food safety. All maize entering the country must meet sanitary and phytosanitary requirements, particularly standards governing moisture and aflatoxin levels.
“Do not bring maize that is not going to pass the tests. There should be no maize in our stores that has been condemned,” he said.
The CS also called for faster laboratory testing, saying authorities should be able to establish maize quality within about 10 minutes instead of relying on procedures that can take four hours or, in some cases, several days.
He further called for one-stop border clearance procedures to reduce delays of between three and five days, which add to transport, storage and financing costs that are ultimately passed on to consumers.
“Government must operate at the same pace as the private sector for efficiency,” Kagwe said.
The Government is also working to strengthen national grain reserves, with the National Cereals and Produce Board indicating that storage capacity equivalent to about two million 90-kilogramme bags is currently available.
