FOUR KENYAN MPS HAVE URGED THE STATE TO DECLARE FAMINE A NATIONAL DISASTER WHILE THE GOVERNEMNT IS TO IMPORT FIVE MILLION BAGS OF MAIZE AS EMERGENCY FOOD RELIEF.
Posted by africanpress on January 2, 2009
Business Reports by Leo Odera Omolo
While four MPs from Eastern Province have urged the government to declare the on-going ravaging famine a national disaster, the government has assured Kenyans that it will import five million bags of maize to avert the looming acute maize shortage.
The four MPs said the state should also seek intervention against food shortage in Ukambani and in other semi arid areas.
Early this week, the cabinet’s Food Security sub committee met at the office of the Prime Minister Raila Odinga where the announcements about the food shortage was made.
Kenya has oly a paltry 1.2 million bags of maize in its stocks, which can oly meet national demand for the next four weeks it emerged.
With an average monthly consumption of 2.9 million bags of the staple cereal, Kenya takes its worst famine since 1986.
The cabinet sub committee meting also sought to come up with a long term solution to boost food security.
Speaking on behalf of his four colleagues, the Kibwezi MP, Phillip Kiloki said “ unless the government acts fast to provide food, we will begin experiencing hunger-related deaths”.
The MP disclosed that his own constituency had experienced total crop failure last season.
Hunger is felt all over and the situation is most worrying, Prof Kaloki while asking the government to launch an international aid appeal to help the needy.
The four MPs said more than 500,000 people who depended on subsistence farming in Ukambani risked facing starvation.
Report emerging from maize producing regions of the country revealed that the xxxx food shortage is widespread.
For grain producing areas and regions like Trans-Nzoia, Uasin Gishu, Bungoma, Trans Mara, Migori, Bomet, Bureti, North and South Nandi district had also experienced crop failure pushing the prices of the commodity sky rocketing and unaffordable.
In most parts of western Kenya the general public are correctly relying on food grains, particularly maize which is being smuggled by racketeers across the borders from Tanzania and Uganda, though the government had already clamped down restriction against such imports.
In some points of the Rift Valley, the crop failure is being attributed to the post election violence which engulfed Kenya in January – March this year, during which time many small scale farmers in areas like Nakuru, Molo and Uasin Gishu Districts were forced to flee from their farms leaving crops unattended in the fields.
Kenya’s Minister for Agriculture William Ruto said National Cereals and Produce Board had been authorized by the government to import 2 million bags of maize, while private sector players will import the remaining.
Tendered companies will begin the importation next week as the government plans to xxxx a further two million from local farmers.
Said the Minister “ I have held several meetings with farmers as the week end and they agreed to sell maize at the price of Ksh. 1, 650 per bag of 40 kg. we have put in place measures to ensure there are no gaps in supply. This will bring down the price of maize also cushion the country against famine “ said Ruto.
The Minister said non-milling companies will also be given the tenders to import the duty-free maize, said the minister adding that the government will put a ceiling on the quantity to be imported by each party.
The government had previously announced that each bag of maize delivered by a farmer to the NCPB would fetch Ksh 1,700. but the farmer has turned down this offer claiming that the amount was too little compared with the highly initial cost of farm inputs such as fertilizers e.t.c.
At the same time private milling companies across the country were offering Ksh 2,200 per bag of 40 kg with spot cash payment on delivery.
Ruto said the duty free maize imports will be adequate to cushion against famine.
Meanwhile unconfirmed reports indicate several companies have already laced the tender among them at least 31 millers.
The government has banned maize exports with immediate effect. The move seeks to avail more of the product locally, said Ruto.
He said the government has discovered that some companies are exporting maize to the Sudan. The ban will stand until adequate flour is available in the country.
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Leooderaomolo@ yahoo.com
