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State bars millers from importing wheat, prices up to Sh3,700 per bag
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State bars millers from importing wheat, prices up to Sh3,700 per bag
standardmedia.co.ke - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from standardmedia.co.ke Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Kenya backtracks on maize import ban as traders protest
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THE STANDARD
Maize crops being harvested at a farm at Kipkenyo village in Uasin Gishu county. Continued rains have affected the maize crop as most of it has rotten before being harvested. [PHOTO BY: KEVIN TUNOI]
Kenyan authorities yesterday backtracked on the maize import ban from Uganda and Tanzania after traders protested the move in what was seen as an attempt to avert a full-blown trade war with the neighbouring countries.
In what contradicted an earlier directive by the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA), Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya said the issue had been taken out of context.
He said the directive was meant to safeguard consumers through tightening of safety measures and not a blanket ban on maize imports from the region.
“Test results for maize imported from Uganda and Tanzania have revealed high levels of mycotoxins that are consistently beyond safety limits,” he said. These poisons are known to cause cancer.
Analysts now say the ban will cause a shortage even as it pits Kenya against its neighbours in what is likely to cause another trade war.
Mr Humphrey Wafula, an agribusiness researcher, says Kenyans face drastic increases in the price of maize unless the government finds alternative sources, considering Uganda and Tanzania are major suppliers.
Safety checks
“If you ban maize coming in from two major sources, then you should allow maize that passes safety checks to come in from other countries, otherwise you will have a problem containing the rise of maize prices,” Mr Wafula notes.