President William Ruto on Tuesday, November 29, 2022, chaired a third cabinet meeting that saw a number of resolutions made.
Coming on the backdrop of an uproar over plans by the government to import maize, the cabinet made several decisions that will come as a sigh of relief to farmers – especially in maize-growing regions.
One of the resolutions made was that priority will be given to farmers in access to the market.
“In honour of our nation’s sacred duty to our farmers, cabinet resolved that the farmers’ produce will be accorded priority access to the market,” read part of the cabinet dispatch shared on State House Kenya’s official social media pages.
The cabinet further noted that harvesting of maize was ongoing across the country – with this year’s crop estimated to yield about 30 million bags of maize.
But with an estimated consumption of 45 million bags of maize, the cabinet noted that there will be a need to bridge the deficit through the importation of 10 million bags – to ensure the affordability of basic food items.
However, the importation has been pushed to 2023.
“The importation by the private sector will commence in February 2023 and it shall be incentivized by way of customs duty waiver,” the cabinet resolved.
Cost of fertilizer
The resolution will be welcomed by farmers who have been up in arms since Trade Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria announced that maize importation was imminent.
Another cabinet resolution that will come as music to the ears of farmers is related to the cost of fertilizer.
The cabinet has now resolved that the farm input will be available to farmers at a subsidized price of Ksh3,500.
“As part of the administration’s long-term food security plan, our farmers from across the country will have access to fertilizer at a subsidized cost of Ksh3,500,” the cabinet resolved.
The move, the cabinet notes, will help bring down the overall cost of production as well as the rising cost of living.
