The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development has announced importation of duty free milled rice and white maize into the country for at least six months beginning next year.
In a swift turn of tables, Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi takes over the matter under his docket previously championed by his Trade and Industry counterpart Moses Kuria.
According to a public notice published by Linturi, millers and importers would be able to bring in enough supplies for the nation by importing 600,000 metric tons of rice and 900,000 metric tons of white grain from February to August of next year,
“It is notified for the general information of the public that pursuant to section 114 (2) of the East African Community Customs Management act 2004, read with provisions of items 20 Part B of the Fifth Schedule to the Act and in consequence of the notification of an impending food crisis in the country by the ministry of agriculture and livestock development an import Duty waiver will be granted for millers and traders to import a total of 900,000 metric tons of white maize grain and 600,000 metric tons of milled rice from February 2023 to August 2023,” the notice read in part.
In contrast to statements made by his Trade counterpart, who once threatened that the government would permit the importation of 10 million bags of duty-free maize both containing and without Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), Linturi Linturi dismissed the assertions as social media declarations.
Linturi disassociated himself from the importation of GMO maize, a move that was perceived as necessitating the taking over of the importation process.
The High Court through Justice Mugure Thande has extended the order barring government from allowing the importation of GMO foods and crops and lifting of the ban on the same.
“I am the custodian of the ministry and am not ready to answer to what is being reported in social media,” observed Linturi.
Sentiments echoed by Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi who reiterated that the order to import maize should have originated from the Ministry of Agriculture and not the Trade docket.
“This issue of importation of maize should be guided by a survey from the Ministry of Agriculture which will find out if there is a deficit of grain. That is a policy that must be well elected. It is the Agriculture docket that will issue an importation order after looking at the food situation,” Mudavadi said.
Yesterday, the Principal Secretary in charge of Crop Development followed in President William Ruto footsteps during the Jamhuri Day celebrations at Nyayo National Stadium that the government would begin importing 10 million bags of various food products, including maize, in the coming year.
The ministry stated that it would only permit the importation of Grade One imported milled rice and white imported maize if five strict requirements were met.
These requirements included that imported white maize be accompanied by a certificate of conformity issued by the Kenya Bureau of Standards, that its moisture content not exceed 13.5 percent as required by Kenyan law and that its aflatoxin levels not exceed 10 parts per billion as required.
For imported rice, it must be dried mature grains of the edible Oryza SPP variety, clean, wholesome, uniform in size, colour, and shape, safe and suitable for human consumption, free of offensive flavours, musty, sour or other unfavourable odors, obnoxious small and discolorations, free of microorganisms and substances derived from microorganisms, fungi or other poisonous substances.
