Traders hoarding maize to force rise in flour prices as famine persists

The government could start importing maize from foreign countries at the end of this week to mitigate the hunger being experienced in the country, Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries Willy Bett has said.

The move has also been taken to protect consumers from farmers and businessmen who are hoarding maize expecting to cash in on a price explosion.

Speaking in Mombasa on Monday, Mr Bett said a spot check throughout the country had shown that many businessmen and farmers are hoarding maize expecting a major rise in the price of maize flour.

“We have gone round the country and discovered that the problem is not that we are facing famine because there is no enough maize. It is because farmers and top businessmen are hoarding maize,” he said.

He said that those hoarding maize will be beaten in their own game when the government starts importing maize at the end of the week.

“We shall announce at the end of the week whether to import maize or not but let us warn hoarders that they stand to suffer because they are deliberately hoarding the produce to influence its price,” said Mr Bett.

MAIZE FLOUR PRICES RISING

He said that the price of maize flour has started rising and warned millers that it has to remain at an agreed ceiling in order to protect the consumer who is the ordinary citizen.

“I have met millers and urged them not to increase the maize flour prices because this will hurt wananchi a lot.

“Already, the price is going up with a bag of maize selling at Sh3,400, up from Sh3,000 while the price of a 2kg maize flour packet is selling at Sh110 in some places, up from Sh97”, he said.

Mr Bett said the hunger situation in the country is still precarious but assured citizens that the government is addressing the problem.

UHURU LEADING ANTI-HUNGER WAR

He revealed that President Uhuru Kenyatta is leading programmes to tackle the hunger situation and has directed that he be briefed on a weekly basis.

“Our weather experts had predicted this long drought where 1.3 million citizens would be affected. But the situation turned out to be worse than predicted. The number of affected people suddenly rose to 1.5 million and now it is at 2 million,” he said.

“We planned the drought intervention in three phases.

“The first phase was from November to December last year where Sh5.4 billion was set aside”, he said.

A total of Sh9 billion was set aside for the second phase running between February and April 2017 and additional Sh7 billion set aside for the third and last phase between May and July 2017.

He said that the Sh21 billion set aside for the drought mitigation will cater for relief food supply for affected people, hey and water trucking for animals.