Animal feed manufacturers have got a reprieve after the Ministry of Agriculture announced it will allow shipments of processors whose consignment of yellow maize imports will arrive in the country past the initial set deadline of October.
The imports are aimed at taming the high cost of animal feed.
Livestock Principal Secretary Harry Kimtai said those who would have made orders for yellow maize within the set timeline will not be barred from offloading the produce duty-free even if it docks at the port way past the deadline.
The manufacturers had last week said that they would not import the produce because of the shorter opening that is remaining between now and the end of October when the duty-free window lapses.
“We will not restrict any manufacturer from getting their stocks to the country even if it gets here past the deadline, as so long as the import orders are made within the gazetted time,” said Mr Kimtai.
Any maize that will get to the country outside the import window would have attracted a duty of up to 50 percent per 90-kilogramme bag.
The government opened the import window for duty-free yellow maize last November and is expected to close it at the end of October. The millers have not shipped in the commodity since then, citing the difficulty of securing the produce that is free of genetically modified organisms (GMO).
The government only authorised the importation of yellow maize with a trace of GMO last month.
The ship manifest for the next 14 days shows that yellow maize is not among the consignments that are set to dock at the Port of Mombasa in the next two weeks.
The delays in importing yellow maize have seen the price of feeds shoot up to historic levels, piling pressure on the cost of animal products.
The price of a 70 kilogramme bag of layers marsh has now jumped to Sh4,500 from Sh3,800 in April, chick mash is going for Sh4,940 from Sh4,200 while dairy meal is now selling at Sh2,850 from Sh2,500, pointing to tough times for consumers who will have to absorb extra cost when buying animal products such as eggs.
