President William Ruto has said plans are underway to ensure that Kenya does not import maize anymore. The president said the country is looking at 2024 as the last year that it will receive maize from outside.
According to The Star, the president made this known during a church service in Eldoret. “Nataka tuzime io mambo, hatutaki kuagiza maindi tena kutoka nchi zingine, mwaka ambayo tunaingia (2024) ndio tutachukua gunia za mwisho,” he said.
This is loosely translated to: I want us to put an end to that, we don’t want to import maize ever again, 2024 will be the last year that we as a country will receive maize.
Ruto declared that the maize that will be consumed in 2025 will be from Kenyan farmers, adding that the ball is now in the farmer’s courts. “By next year, I will put in place enough tractors across the country and a plan in which they will be used. We have also said that with the lands available we will farm them for food production,” he said.
“We have a lot of land from that of KDF, Prisons, and NYS, we will use those ones for food production, as my plan is to end maize import.” He urged farmers and county heads to come up with plans and offer training for better production. “We don’t want our farmers to display maize on the roads. I want you to go to cereal board at a cost of Sh70 per sack to dry the maize so that you can go sell them,” he added.
Ruto also urged the farmers to utilise the available storage at government facilities for better storage as they look for a market, with this he said the charges will be affordable. “My administration has bought mobile dryers, which will help the farmer effectively dry their maize.”
Ruto announcement comes weeks after he had declared prohibition of the importation of wheat and maize, citing the move will safeguard Kenyan farmers. The President said that no permits will be issued to millers to import wheat or maize into the country. “We ask our farmers not to sell their produce at throw-away prices. 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 said.
