Maize price to hit Sh3,000 on severe drought

Maize prices may hit Sh3,000 per 90-kilogramme bag by June this year from the current average of Sh1,800 when the current crop is expected to be exhausted, analysts say.

The pressure on prices comes as the fields in South Rift and some parts of Nyanza are ravaged by drought, posing a threat to food security.

The crop has been affected at the tasselling stage, which is the most critical level of maize development, as the rain failure has stagnated their growth.

“The severe weather has seriously affected the crop and this could have a negative impact on the food situation in the country,” says the chief executive officer of Cereal Growers Association (CGA) Anthony Kioko.

The short rain crop from the South Rift supplements the country’s food basket in the month of June when the crop from long rains runs out of stock. The country produces close to 35 million bags in a year against a consumption of 40 million bags, making Kenya a maize deficit country.

This implies that the country will have to rely more on maize from regional countries such as Uganda and Tanzania to bridge the deficit. Mr Kioko pointed out that farmers in areas like Narok had cut down their crop because it had totally failed.

The weather forecast for March, April and May had indicated that the rains were to start in the second or third week of March, but they did not materialise.

Deputy director at the Kenya Meteorological Department Peter Ambenje said the medium range forecast that is done every seven days had indicated that there would be delays in the rains that were meant to start last week.

“The prospects of having rains in this second week of March are very minimal,” Mr Ambenje said.