President William Ruto has imposed a ban on the importation of wheat and maize.
In a statement to Kenyans.co.ke, Ruto revealed that no importation permit will be issued to millers for the importation of the two food items.
Ruto added that the move will protect farmers who are expected to register a bumper harvest following the rains witnessed this year.
"No permits will be issued to millers to import wheat or maize into the country. President William Ruto said the move is aimed at protecting local farmers," State House noted in a statement.
"He said the Government will only deviate from the directive if the local produce is insufficient. The President pointed out that the Government will allocate Ksh4 billion to buy maize from farmers."
Ruto made the declaration while meeting with a delegation of grassroots leaders from Narok County at State House.
He also asked farmers to be cautious of individuals who were out to take advantage of them in the market.
“We ask our farmers not to sell their produce at throw-away prices,” he stated.
On the other hand, he noted that the government also has plans to purchase driers which will be available to farmers for as low as Ksh50 at National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) depots.
Ruto explained that the driers will come in handy given that parts of the country are already experiencing rainfall.
“Even if farmers don’t want to sell their maize to NCPB, they will have an opportunity to dry their produce at the State agency and store it,” he added.
NCPB is yet to announce the prices at which it will be purchasing the maize.
Kenya registered a bumper harvest in 2023 owing to the rains witnessed in March. The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) predicts that 44 million bags of maize will be harvested this year representing an increase from last year's 33.4 million bags.
CBK also projects that 49 million bags of wheat will be harvested this year up from the 3 million bags harvested in 2022.
