Shortage of wheat looms as ships held

Kenya might be hit by a wheat flour shortage due to the high number of pirate attacks on grain vessels.

Two ships expected in Mombasa early this month with 70,000 tonnes of wheat are being held by pirates, said Mombasa Maize Millers finance director Munir Thabit.

Mv Al Khaleeg and mv Delvina were hijacked late last month and early this month respectively. Each was carrying 35,000 tonnes of wheat for Kenyan and Ugandan millers.

The hijackings have reduced wheat flour production by 30 per cent at Mombasa Millers and Kitui Flour Millers, who have had to share their stock, as they wait for more consignments.

“If any two more grain ships are hijacked in the coming weeks, the country will face a serious crisis and the prices of wheat flour will rise as it takes months to negotiate with pirates,” said Mr Thabit.

Already, ship owners are in negotiations with pirates for the release of the two vessels.

Mv Delvina, which was sailing from the Mediterranean to Kilindini was seized 250 nautical miles (460km) northwest of Madagascar, several hundred miles from the Somali coast where most attacks previously took place.

With the emerging trend where pirates are attacking food vessels to create urgency, there are concerns that the country does not have sufficient mitigation measures such as buffer stocks of wheat, should the problem get out of hand.

To avoid plunging into a crisis, the country should create sufficient buffer stocks, according to Mr Thabit.

A consortium of private investors has suggested to the government the construction of bulk storage silos near the port to hold enough grains to last the country for up to four months.