Kenya imports more maize from Uganda amid rising domestic prices

Kenya has increased maize imports from Uganda to boost supply amid rising maize prices in the country.

Maize prices in Kenya have been on the increase in the past two months, with millers blaming the current shortage of maize partly on hoarding by traders. A 90kg bag of maize goes for between 27 and 32 U.S. dollars.

On the other hand, millers are selling a 2kg packet of maize flour at slightly over one dollar, putting a squeeze on consumers who are currently grappling with a surge in commodity prices.

The western city of Kisumu has recorded the steepest price surge in the last two months, with a 90kg bag of maize going at 32 dollars, according to data from the local organization Regional Agricultural Trade Intelligence Network (Ratin).

During the period, Kenya has been recording less than 10 metric tonnes of imports a day from the neighboring Uganda.

But this has changed last week, with maize imports rising to over 50 metric tonnes each day, according to Ratin, run by the Eastern Africa Grain Council.

Maize prices in Uganda average 24 dollars per 90kg bag -- the reason for the surge of imports as traders seek best deals.

The maize imports come at a time when Kenyan farmers are harvesting their produce.

"Soon the market will be saturated and the prices may even go lower because some farmers who planted early have already started taking their produce to the market. Those in Uganda started harvesting from August, the reason for the increased supply in the country," Bernard Moina, an agricultural officer in Kitale, western Kenya, said Friday.

According to a report by the Ministry of Agriculture, maize imports from Uganda and Tanzania will hit at least 20 million bags this year. Endit