Politics and policy
Erratic El Nino rains complicate food security situation in 2010
Experts at the Tegemeo Institute of Agricultural Policy and Development predict a precarious situation and urge the government to put in place water-tight plans for importing right quantity of maize. Photo/FILE
Posted Wednesday, March 10 2010 at 00:00
Decisions on when, how much, and who is to import maize need to consider information on the world supply of grains as well as movements in world prices.
Kenya’s major source of white maize is South Africa, which accounts for over 70 per cent of total maize imports.
On average, South Africa has always had a closing maize stock of about three million tonnes, but this has been declining as a result of increased domestic use and the decreasing area under crop since the 1995/96.
In 2010, it is estimated that closing stocks may be as low as 1.7 million tonnes, thus putting exports at risk, and impacting negatively on Kenya’s imports.
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