The last one year has been a tumultuous time
for Kenyan agriculture. A prolonged drought,
armyworm invasion, presidential elections
and a food subsidy programme to ensure
Kenyans do not go hungry. Kenya tackled
these challenges head-on and weathered the volatility, having learnt a number of lessons.
The task of providing affordable food for more than
48 million Kenyans should not be underrated. It was
arguably the single largest food import programme in
recent Kenyan history, if not ever. This mission required
the collaboration of all actors along the international
and Kenyan food supply chain.
Of course, with an operation of this scale, there were
challenges and hiccups. Initially, there were reports of inadequate supply of subsidised flour to some of
the more remote locations and on some supermarket
shelves. The port of Mombasa strained under the extra
cargo and quickly became congested so that importers’
vessels waited as long as one month for a berth. At
more than Sh1 million per day demurrage, the private
sector faced a bill running into hundreds of millions of
shillings. Now that the subsidy programme has ended,
Kenya is looking forward to how it can improve the
food security situation and mitigate as many hazards
as possible.
The next season does not come without its risks.
Farmers are expected to battle with armyworm and
are reported to lack funds to buy inputs as a result
of delayed payments from the NCPB. Kenyan millers
are also waiting for billions of shillings owed to them
as a hangover from the subsidy. As a result, millers’
liquidity is in crisis, reducing their ability to purchase
raw materials that could eventually force them to cut
production, exacerbating fragility of food security.
The fertiliser subsidy programme continues with
the aim of facilitating improved access to fertiliser
at affordable prices to help increase yields. Fertiliser
adoption is consequently increasing and innovative
blending plants are coming online to add further to
improving soil quality and fertiliser effectiveness to
specific crops and soils. However, fertiliser is only one
element of a successful and functioning food system.
World agricultural yields continue to increase and
crop prices decrease as a result of improved use of
technologies and scientific research. Meanwhile, Kenya
is lagging behind but its advantage is the ability to tap
into this already available knowledge and expertise.
Irrigation technology has turned parts of the world
considered deserts into productive land able to grow
two or three crops a year. Seed technologies have led
to exponential yield increases, improved tolerance to
drought and lower application of chemicals.
Market linkages between farmers and buyers are
crucial to develop efficiencies in the Kenyan food
chain. The government cannot be left to do everything
on its own. Encouraging private sector competition
is fundamental in the development of agriculture.
The private sector profit motive is key to driving the
agricultural market through basic economics of supply
and demand. Free markets are catalysts for efficient
delivery of goods from excess areas to deficit through
the all-encompassing indicator — price.
Kenya has seen an abundance of rainfall over the
last few months with figures more than 200 per cent
higher than normal for this time of year. If the country
pulls together, then there are immense opportunities
on the horizon.