Kenya: Duty-free GMO maize imports kick off today to tame inflation

The government will from today allow the importation of duty-free genetically modified maize in renewed efforts to curb the runaway inflation that has engulfed the country. Trade Cabinet secretary Moses Kuria said yesterday that imports of duty-free GMO maize would last for the next six months in a window the State expects to net 10 million bags. The shipments are expected to plug the gap triggered by reduced harvest in the wake of prolonged drought, which pushed the cost of the staple maize flour to rise to an average of Sh190 in October for the two-kilogramme packet from Sh130 at the start of the year. ALSO READ: State targets 0.5m acres under GMO seeds next year The costly maize flour together with fuel and other food items has led to Kenya’s monthly inflation rising to a 65-month high of 9.6 per cent in October, squeezing household budgets and demand for goods and services. The sky-high inflation, which is above the government’s target range of 2.5-7.5 per cent, has forced ...