Kenyan Agriculture Minister Authorises Maize Imports Following 29% Production Shortfall

Kenyan Maize farmers harvested 32M bags (90kg bags) against the targeted 40M bags in 2022, which is 28.89% short of the annual national maize consumption of 45M (90kg bags). Rift valley, the leading region in maize production, recorded a decline of 28.57% in the 2022 harvest compared to 2021. To bridge the consumption deficit, the Ministry of Agriculture authorised traders to import 10M bags of maize between February and August 2023. Therefore, Kenya is expected to have adequate maize stock until the next harvesting season in July 2024.