NAIROBI, Sept. 8 (Xinhua/GNA) – Kenya said on Tuesday that it is considering a request from cereal millers, to allow the duty-free importation of three million metric tonnes of white maize, to address a severe domestic shortage.
Facing its lowest maize production in seven years, the government aims to cushion consumers from steep spikes in maize flour prices, according to Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development, Mutahi Kagwe.
“We cannot afford not to have maize,” Kagwe said during a consultative meeting with leadership from the Cereal Millers Association (CMA) in Nairobi.
He said the government is also set to gazette the duty-free importation of 360,000 metric tons of yellow maize, specifically for animal feed manufacturing.
This intervention, Kagwe said, aims to divert feed producers away from white maize, freeing up more food-grade supplies for human consumption, and easing market competition between millers and feed manufacturers.
The CMA said the tax waiver would lower the landed cost of grain, expand global sourcing channels, and help stabilize flour prices for Kenyan households.
Kenya is facing the steepest maize production decline in years, requiring early action before tightening supplies translate into shortages and higher prices, CMA Chief Executive Officer Paloma Fernandes said.
To accommodate trade logistics, the CMA has requested a nine-month duty-free window, arguing that importers require sufficient time to negotiate contracts, secure financing, coordinate shipping, and land adequate grain supplies in the country.
Kagwe said the government and millers are already exploring regional procurement options, with Zambia and Tanzania emerging as immediate suppliers.
GNA