Gov't to import 25 million bags of maize to cushion anticipated food shortage

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary (CS) Mutahi Kagwe said on Wednesday that the Government has already made arrangements to facilitate the imports, assuring Kenyans that the country has sufficient measures in place to guarantee food security despite the current challenges.

Kenya consumes approximately 75 million bags of maize annually but reduced harvests in several food-producing regions are expected to create a shortfall of nearly 25 million bags.

"We will import maize. We have already made arrangements for that. We will manage the country. The country is not going to go hungry," said Kagwe.

He was speaking during the Fifth Joint Consultative Meeting of County Executive Committee Members (CECMs), where the Ministry officially launched consultations for the upcoming AgriConnect Compact Programme.

The CS noted that while maize imports will provide an immediate solution to the projected shortage, the Government is implementing long-term interventions aimed at strengthening local food production and reducing the country's vulnerability to climate change.

Among the key interventions is the expansion of irrigation projects such as the Galana Kulalu scheme, which is expected to boost agricultural productivity, increase resilience against drought and reduce dependence on rain-fed farming.

The Government will also collaborate with the National Treasury to streamline taxes and address bureaucratic challenges affecting farmers and agribusinesses in an effort to make the agricultural sector more competitive and profitable.

Kagwe said jobs could be created through the AgriConnect Compact Programme as the Government moves to transform agriculture from a subsistence activity into a modern, technology-driven and commercially viable sector.

The meeting, which brought together leaders from the national government, county governments and the World Bank, reviewed the progress achieved under the Food Systems Resilience Program (FSRP) and the National Agricultural Value Chain Development Project (NAVCDP), both of which will transition into the AgriConnect Compact Programme.

According to the CS, the programme will be anchored on three key pillars: increasing agricultural productivity, promoting value addition and creating sustainable employment opportunities through agribusiness.

He emphasized that agriculture should no longer be viewed as a last resort for survival, but rather as an engine for wealth creation, investment and job generation, particularly like for young people.

The programme will also champion the digitization of agriculture, the adoption of artificial intelligence and the integration of modern farming technologies to improve productivity and make the sector more attractive to the next generation.