Eat rice to beat shortage of maize, Linturi urges Kenyans
By Mercy.Mwai, March 23, 2023
Prices of maize flour and rice are set to come down in the next 10 days after the government announced that millers will bring in 1.4 million tonnes of maize and 1.1 million tonnes of rice.
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi has, at the same time, asked Kenyans to eat rice, potatoes and other foods as an alternative to ugali.
Speaking when he appeared before the Agriculture and Livestock committee chaired by Tigania West MP John Mutunga, he regretted that millers have found it challenging to import into the country additional maize due to its unavailability.
“The sad story out there is that maize is so rare that we have not been able to get enough of it. My plea with you is; please tell your constituents that rice can be a substitute for starch,” he said.
He disclosed that the government has already issued permits to millers to enable them to import the commodities adding that 43,173 tonnes of rice and 1.3 tonnes of maize had already arrived in the country and are awaiting distribution.
“In another 10 days, we will have landed in this country with enough rice and maize. I would like to ask you members to ask farmers to release any maize they are holding as prices will crush when this maize comes in,” he said.
Linturi told farmers to release any food commodities they are currently holding as food prices will crush once the new stock hits the market.
Market demands
He made the plea to farmers even as he assured MPs that the government had put in place adequate measures to bring down the cost of food commodities.
He said: “We have put in place adequate mechanisms to ensure that the country has enough food. We expect when these commodities come into the market, prices would come down.”
When asked to give the exact prices a packet of maize flour will retail once the new commodities hit the market, Linturi said that this will depend on the forces of demand and supply.
Currently, a packet of maize flour is retailing at between Sh170 and Sh230 in most of the supermarkets.
“Ordinarily prices of food commodities depend on the supply and demand and that is why we are asking farmers to release the maize that they are holding so that we can have enough.
A week ago, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua said it will take Kenyans another six months for the price of maize flour to go down once the country starts importing dry maize from Zambia.