Kenya: Shift to Posho Mills Hits Demand for Sifted Flour

The demand for sifted maize flour has dropped significantly as more consumers turned to cheaper supplies from posho mills on lower-income due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Cereal Millers Association, a lobby of grain processors, said the sales of sifted maize meal has slowed down drastically over the past few months as many households reported reduced or lost income due to pay cuts or retrenchment by corporates hurt by the economic disruption of the pandemic. "Demand is very low at the moment, in fact, it worse than it was a few months ago when Covid-19 had just struck. "Low purchasing power has now seen consumers opt for posho mill flour because it is now affordable to buy maize," association chairman Kennedy Nyagah said. The low demand has triggered a reduction in sifted maize flour prices for the first time in nearly two years. For example, a market survey shows that a two-kilogramme packet of the Soko brand now retails at Sh103, down from Sh115 while Jogoo and Pembe brands are ...