Put an end to annual maize shortage ritual
By Editorial.Team, June 29, 2022The government yesterday suspended the levies and taxes charged on imported maize for a period of three months.
Its move is in reaction to the escalating prices of maize flour, a staple diet in most Kenyan homes. While we laud this gesture, it reeks of haphazard planning and lack of foresight.
All indications showed the long rains were either failing or would delay and farmers took a beating for early preparation and planting. When the skies opened, it was not the usual downpour. In many areas, the rains failed. This prompted Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya to issue a warning that there was not enough maize to satisfy demand and keep prices in check. At that point, a bag of maize was retailing at between Sh4,300 and Sh5,000.
To assuage the effects of the skyrocketing prices, Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani, in a Gazette Notice, permitted food value chains to import into the country 540,000 metric tonnes of non-GMO white maize by the first week of August. Today, a bag of maize is going for Sh6,000 and a 2-kilogramme packet of maize flour is priced at Sh220.
Kenyans are suffering and yesterday’s declaration on taxes is coming after many have been pushed to the edge. The government allocated money for fertiliser subsidies after the cost of the farm input went up three times. The subsidised fertiliser was to be sold in government stores which hindered availability and the distribution was rationed, meaning the amount that went into farms was limited.
Is it therefore, surprising that there is a crisis in the country? Going forward, in the short term, the government must ensure charlatans and rogue millers do not take advantage of the moratorium to flood the market with products they had procured in anticipation of this waiver.
It has always been the norm that when such an announcement is made, there are ships in the high seas with the product waiting to deliver on short notice. Yes, Kenyans want cheap maize but no one should take advantage of such a situation.
Government should also use experts to anticipate such situations and provide cover before the country is pushed to the brink. The intelligence community, the forecasters and the security organs have their work cut out. Food should not be treated as an afterthought. Pull all stops to ensure this annual ritual comes to an end.