Agriculture ministry fails to reveal names of duty-free maize importers

The Ministry of Agriculture has declined to reveal names of millers and traders who will be allowed to import duty-free maize.

Agriculture Principal Secretary Harsama Kellow said they have scrutinised applicants and that the process of issuing the letters is currently going on.

“We have scrutinised the names of those who have applied and we are still approving others and we shall be issuing the letters to those who have been approved soon,” said Kellow.

Concerned millers state that imports will be delayed due to the logistics involved, with shipments taking at least 45 days to arrive in the country from the day the order is placed.

The window was set to open yesterday, and the government promised to publish the names by February 6.

“We are still in the dark regarding imports; we submitted our application in December and expected the authorisation permits to be issued by now,” said Atin Agarwal, chief executive officer of Trident Millers.

If the approval is granted this week, the maize could arrive in the country as early as mid-March.

The government has not stated whether or not the importation period will be extended, as the approved window is set to expire in August this year.

According to Millers, the lack of white maize on the global market may also slow the process of imports because conventional stocks are limited globally.

The government had last year authorised the importation of duty-free GMO and non-GMO maize to address the biting food shortage in the country.

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi had said that the government would sign documents to permit the importation of duty-free maize in the next six-months.

As of December last year, at least 250 traders had applied for import licenses to bring in maize under the duty-free window.