The government will not import maize, Trade Cabinet secretary Moses Kuria has said.
The CS on Monday said the government has no plans to import maize as claimed by a section of the political class.
However, Kuria said the government will later on Monday give authority to individual millers to import duty free maize for the next six months.
“The gazette notice we will release today will open up the market to millers and anyone to import maize duty free for six months. Government will not import any maize,” he said.
The CS further urged farmers, who he said are hoarding nearly 20 million bags of maize to sell them to millers, to bridge the deficit of the cereal in the market.
He said should farmers deliver the millions of bags, millers will have no reason to buy maize from outside the country.
“It is further expected that farmers are about to harvest 35 million bags in the next two weeks. Urgently deliver that to the millers, so they will not need to import,” Kuria said on Twitter.
“It is estimated that farmers are sitting on 20 million bags of maize. Let them release it to the millers. You can call me if no miller is buying your maize.”
Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei has opposed plans by the government to allow a six-month duty-free importation of GMO and non-GMO maize.
He said there is no need to import maize because farmers are currently harvesting maize in Rift Valley.
"Our Rift Valley farmers are currently harvesting maize. The importation of maize should stop until the government has mopped up all this year's crops," Cherargei said on Friday.
