Cheap maize imports tilt trade balance for SA

But a study released this month by the South African based African Centre for Biosafety (ACB) indicates that in the last four months, South Africa has dumped almost 300,000 tonnes of genetically modified (GM) maize in Kenya, Mozambique and Swaziland.

“As much as 80 per cent of the grain trade in East Africa is informal and undocumented; the arrival of 280,000 tonnes of GM maize into Kenya presents the potential for genetic contamination on an unimaginable scale,” ACB Director Mariam Mayet says in a press released e-mailed to the Business Daily two weeks ago.

Grain handlers

On the other hand, the cereal growers association has warned that the country risks losing up to 40 per cent of the short season’s harvests due to poor post-harvest handling of grains.

Most professional grain handlers keep their grains at 13 per cent moisture content as higher moisture content causes poisoning such as aflatoxin.

Mr Kevin Manyara, an administrator at the Nakuru- based Lesiolo Grain Handlers Limited says while most large scale farmers in the country harvest at 30 per cent moisture content compared to small scale farmers’ average of 16 per cent, it is the small scale farmers who commonly get affected by the toxin causing fungus because they lack access to proper storage facilities.

“One out of seven trucks of small scale farmers are rejected because of toxins and most of the farmers are still unaware of consequences of poor grain handling ,” said Mr Manyara

Unlike Kenya which is a Comesa and EAC member, South Africa is a member of the South African Development Community — the difference that informed the formation of the joint trade commission to help exporters over the many restrictive tariffs that slows the pace of trade.