President William Ruto has said interventions by his Kenya Kwanza administration had succeeded in bringing down the cost of maize flour to a low of Sh145 per 2kg packet.
President Ruto told the two Houses of Parliament that the drop was down from Sh250 when he assumed office.
In his State of the Nation address, the President said the commodity now retails at a low of Sh145 and a high of Sh175.
“As a result of these interventions, today a 2kg packet of maize flour is selling at a low of Sh145 and a high of Sh175 depending on the brand down from Sh250. A gorogoro of maize is selling at between Sh60 and Sh75,” he said.
However, a spot check in major supermarkets indicates that popular brands are still retailing at an average of Sh200.
He listed the provision of subsidised fertilisers to farmers as one of the interventions aimed at realising increased acreage under maize production.
“I am committed to put the shame of hunger behind us once and for all. We rolled out a countrywide farmer registration and fertiliser subsidy programme that has made available 5.5 million bags to farmers across Kenya,” said President Ruto.
He said his administration has progressively reduced the cost of fertiliser from Sh6,500 to Sh2,500.
This, he said, has increased maize acreage under production by an extra 200,000 acres and enhanced maize production by an additional 18 million bags.
He said his administration has since enrolled farmers on a digital register, with details of the location and acreage of their agricultural landholding.
He said the database enabled his administration to implement an e-voucher system through which farmers received their fertiliser consignments for planting and top-dressing of maize, tea, coffee, rice, potatoes, cotton and edible oil crops.
“Further, we have made adequate arrangements, including investment in necessary infrastructure, to facilitate post-harvest management and prevent losses. 17 certified warehouses, jointly managed by the National Cereals and Produce Board and private sector owners, with a combined capacity of 365,000 MT, or 4 million 90kg bags, have been prepared in the maize-growing areas,” he said.
The President said the National Cereals and Produce Board will provide a subsidised maize drying service to farmers at a fixed cost of Sh70 per bag, which is a significant improvement from the previous rate of Sh350 per bag.
He disclosed that the first consignment of the 100 mobile driers for use by our farmers docked in the country on Wednesday.
On coffee reforms, the president said farmers were set to earn four times advance pay for their crop, from a low of Sh20 to Sh80, following the allocation of Sh4 billion from the Coffee Cherry Fund.
He said, “Coffee reform regulations will give farmers the necessary representation and weight at the Nairobi Coffee Auction. These measures are expected to aid ongoing efforts, including expanding production to new counties and double coffee output in the next four years.”
