Willy Bett: Unga to sell Sh90 per 2-kilo packet

A sample of a two-kilo packet of Pembe maize meal that will retail at Sh90 starting on May 17, 2017, according to Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Willy Bett. PHOTO | COURTESY

The government has promised to reduce the price of unga from Sh160 to Sh90 per two-kilo packet.

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Willy Bett on Tuesday said the cheap maize meal would be available in shops from tomorrow.

SH2,900

This follows an agreement struck between the government and millers that will see a kilo of unga retail at Sh47.

The price drop came after the government gave subsidies to millers besides allowing them to import maize duty-free.

Some 30,000 metric tonnes of maize from South Africa have already arrived in the country and are now in the stores of leading millers.

Participating millers under phase one of the programme are Osho Grain Millers, Alpha Grain Millers, Capwell Industries and Eldoret Grains, among others.

The imported grain is being sold to millers at Sh2,900 per 90-kilogramme bag.

SH4,500

The same quantity of local maize is going for between Sh4,200 and Sh4,500 in the domestic market.

The subsidies, the minister said, would remain in place until July, when it is expected that the ongoing rains will have helped improve the food situation in the country.

Mr Bett, however, called on traders and millers hoarding maize in the hope of cashing in on the current food crisis to release it onto the market.