Kenya lost 10 million bags of maize within five years

Data by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) indicate that maize production fell from 44.6 million bags harvested in 2018 to 34.3 million bags last year, the lowest in more than a decade. Despite efforts by the government to support farmers with subsidies on seeds and fertilizer, maize production continued to fall for five consecutive years against a consumption of 52 million bags, a factor largely blame on among others, poor rainfall and fall armyworm invasion. “Production of maize decreased by 6.5pc from 36.7 million bags in 2021 to 34.3 million bags in 2022, largely occasioned by unfavourable weather conditions in 2022,” KNBS stated. The country maize production fell to 44 million bags in 2019, 42.1 million bags in 2020 and 36.7 million bags in 2021 according to KNBS Economic Survey Report 2023. The dip in production during the period saw prices escalated forcing to the government to intervene by allowing relaxing duties on imports to plug deficit and ease prices. ...