By Daily Nation
A war of words has erupted in political circles regarding the question of whether the country has enough maize, even as experts warn it is not logistically possible for the planned imports from Mexico to arrive before the next harvest unless the consignment is already on its way or hanging somewhere in the high seas.
The Ministry of Agriculture is divided down the middle, with Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri differing publicly with Strategic Food Reserve Trust Fund chairman Noah Wekesa over the deficit and the planned importation of maize.
On Wednesday, Mr Kiunjuri said the country would import 19 million bags of maize to meet its deficit or the price of a 2kg packet of maize would hit Sh150 from the current Sh120.
IMPORT MAIZE
But Dr Wekesa, in an uncharacteristic move, denied there was a shortage of such magnitude, insisting there was no need to import maize since the country has at least 2.76 million bags of the grain, which is sufficient up to mid-August, ahead of a new harvest expected in the South Rift and Western regions.
Dr Wekesa accused ‘cartels’ of only being interested in lining their pockets at the expense of the farmers, a statement that prompted an angry response from Mr Kiunjuri, who said he would have the last say on the matter.
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