Politics of maize in Kenya: Are imports outside EAC inevitable?
Kenya's Agriculture CS Mwangi Kiunjuri at a depot in November 2018 where 60 per cent of maize stocked in the facility was found to be discoloured. Government estimates a 12.5 million bags deficit. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Maize is the cheapest source of calories among the cereal grains, making up about 65 per cent of the total food calories consumed by households in Kenya. To meet this demand, maize is produced on 40 per cent of the total crop area—mainly by smallholders.
Kenya’s annual production target has been 40 million bags or approximately 3.6 million tonnes. However, over the past decade, the average production has been well below 40 million bags, with the exception of 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2018.
