A two-kilo packet of maize meal flour is selling between Sh145 and Sh155.
Timothy Njagi, a senior researcher at Tegemeo Institute of Agricultural Policy and Development, Egerton University, said the food crisis is not isolated to Kenya but it is a global problem.
He said globally, the price of maize is high and this will continue affecting local prices.
Speaking to the Star in an interview on Tuesday, Njagi said despite the duty waiver that was given to cereal millers and traders willing to import maize, this may not help in reducing the cost of unga due to high global food prices.
“Maize imports will come into the Port of Mombasa at Sh5,500 per 90kg bag despite the waiver. If you factor in the cost of transport and other logistics, the same bag may get to Nairobi at Sh5,800 or even Sh6,000 bearing in mind the high cost of fuel,” he said.
“Millers will also factor in the cost of production, which includes fuel, so at the end of the day the consumer will carry the burden. High prices will persist till next year due to high global prices that have been made worse by the Russia-Ukraine war," Njagi said.
On May 20, the government granted a duty waiver of 540,000 metric tons on importation of white non-genetically modified organism maize through a gazette notice.
According to the Agriculture CS Peter Munya, the three-month window of importation till August will help avert the looming shortage of maize and cushion consumers against high prices of flour.
United Grain Millers Association chairman Ken Nyaga said a 90kg bag of maize in Nairobi is currently selling at Sh5,400 up from Sh4,500 in the last week while a two kilogramme packet of unga is retailing at an average of Sh150.
This is against the backdrop of the 2022 Presidential candidates promising to reduce the cost of food including unga and other inputs such as fertiliser and fuel to help ease the cost of production for farmers if they are elected in August.
Deputy President William Ruto the Kenya Kwanza Alliance candidate promised that if elected, he will bring down the cost of fertiliser which has currently skyrocketed, in order to reduce the cost of production for maize and other crops and farm production.
In his manifesto, Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party candidate Raila Odinga said his government will seek to monitor food prices in the market to cushion consumers against exploitation.
He also promised to reduce the cost of agricultural inputs like fertiliser, livestock and aquaculture inputs for more food production. This, he said, will be done by utilising undeveloped land and putting it into use as well as exploiting irrigation, especially in the arid and semi-arid land.
-Edited by SKanyara
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