Graham Kajilwa
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]
The government will allow importation of four million bags of maize to
cushion the country against food shortage as it battles the coronavirus
pandemic.
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya disclosed that a Gazette Notice will be issued soon to
allow importation.
Of the four million bags, said Mr Munya, two million will be
white maize and the rest the yellow variety. While white maize is meant
for human consumption, yellow is for processing animal feeds.
“We will ensure that the yellow maize is restricted to animal feeds processors,” said the CS.
SEE ALSO :Uhuru has 950 days to turn around the economy
Munya said the white maize will be subjected to 14 per cent duty while yellow maize will attract 10 per cent.
“This is to ensure that the maize being imported is not cheaper than
what is available locally. All these are measures to ensure availability
of food and animal feeds as the country faces this disease,” he said.
The last time a similar window of importation was issued was in July
2019 where traders were allowed to bring in 12 million bags to cushion
Kenyans from high prices of maize flour.
Speaking at Kilimo House, Munya said the government has put all the
necessary mechanism in place to ensure food security during this period.
He said there is no shortage of food, but noted it is too early to determine the impact the disease will have on the sector.
SEE ALSO :Invest more in irrigation schemes, this is crucial
“Food
supply is sufficient at the moment and I urge Kenyans to desist from
panic buying which will warrant unnecessary shortages,” he said.
The CS urged farmers to continue with their activities, especially this planting season.
He said the government has negotiated for affordable fertiliser, now
going for Sh2,300 from Sh3,800 for a 50kg bag from DAP. Coffee farmers
can also buy theirs for Sh2,000 from over Sh3,000.
“Farmers should take advantage of the current rains and plant. We are
alive to the fact that the country needs to be food secure even during
this pandemic. We should also be aware that the agriculture sector will
play a big role to steer this economy past this pandemic,” said Munya.
Operate at night
SEE ALSO :Traditional crops puff hopes for climate resilience
Munya
said even with the curfew, agro-processors should not shy away from
going about their business as they are one of the exempted essential
service providers.
He said soon there will be guidelines on how agro-processors will conduct their business during this curfew period.
“I had a discussion with the Ministry of Interior and we agreed that
food transporters will be allowed to operate even at night. Police and
county administration should provide them safe passage, and of course
they have to follow the structures of checks as laid out by the Ministry
of Health,” said the CS.
Munya said licensed agro-processors should work during this period with
minimal interruptions even as it has been reported that police have been
harassing some transporters.
gkajilwa@standardmedia.co.ke
Pages
Subscribe to:
Post Comments
(
Atom
)
No comments :
Post a Comment