Nasa manifesto does offer plans to alleviate unga shortage

Maize flour in a supermarket. PHOTO | WILLIAM OERI | NATION MEDIA GROUP

Does the Nasa manifesto offer a solution regarding the unga shortage?

 

“…My old man started talking about unga (Raila Odinga). I was waiting for him to give me a solution regarding unga. I didn’t see his solution. Did you see it? We have gone through his manifesto, there is nothing they have said…”

 -  President Uhuru Kenyatta during a Rally at Kutus, Kirinyaga County on June 28

In its manifesto, the National Super Alliance (Nasa) pledges to increase maize yields from 8.5 to 12.5 bags per acre. The increase of four bags would translate to 18 million bags.

In 2016 Kenyans consumed 29.3 million 90kg bags of maize, which is equivalent to 2.4 million bags monthly, according to the 2017 Economic Survey.

Nasa also pledges to improve dry land agriculture through water harvesting and small scale irrigation, and to expand and commercialise the rearing of small stock (poultry, sheep, goats and pigs) as an easy way to lift subsistence farmers out of poverty.

The coalition also pledges to lower the cost and improve access to agricultural inputs through a number of measures. These include strengthening farmer organisation and transferring to them the roles of input distribution currently carried out by government, facilitate import of grain for manufacture of animal feed, and increase the multiplication of certified seeds and fast track the certification of new varieties.

The opposition coalition also pledges to develop a comprehensive national crop and livestock insurance system and allow farmers to use their crops as collateral for credit by establishing a policy and legislative framework to allow warehouse receipting.

Nasa pledges to promote the development of commodity markets and forward markets such as futures, and restructure and revitalise the Agricultural Finance Corporation and the Agriculture Development Corporation to make the more responsive to farmers.

It also pledges to boost the national food reserve and establish a National Food Security Council that would continuously advice government on the state of food security.

Solving the unga crisis comes from addressing issues that hinder higher maize yields and harvest and boosting the food reserve.

Data from the Kenya Agricultural Value Chain Enterprises puts the annual consumption of maize to be at about 3.1 million bags monthly whereas the World Bank placed it at 3.5 million bags monthly.

Over the five decades, maize yields have changed little, even as the volume of maize production and the area under cultivation and harvested expanded. In 1961 the maize yield in kg per hectare was 125,330 and in 2014 it was 166,020, data from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) indicates.

While there is an argument to be made whether their solutions are viable, Nasa did offer a plan to boost production of Kenya’s staple. The proposals also did not differ greatly from those put forth by Jubilee.