The government will allow the importing of duty-free genetically modified maize beginning today in a bid to rein in the country’s spiralling inflation.
Trade Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria said Wednesday that duty-free GMO maize imports will be allowed for the next six months, with the State expecting to net 10 million bags.
The shipments are expected to fill the void left by a lower harvest as a result of the prolonged drought, which drove the price of the staple maize flour up to an average of Sh190 in October for a two-kilogramme packet from Sh130 at the start of the year.
Because of the high cost of maize flour, as well as gasoline and other basic products, Kenya’s monthly inflation reached a 65-month high of 9.6 per cent in October, straining household budgets and reducing demand for goods and services.
The sky-high inflation, which is above the government’s target range of 2.5-7.5 per cent, has forced many households, particularly low-income households, to reduce their shopping basket in an environment in which firms have frozen salaries as they recover from Covid-19 economic hardships.
The state is now looking for imports to help lower food prices, with maize prices expected to reach historic highs without the shipments.
Do you have a story you would like us to highlight?
Email: uzalendonews24@gmail.com.
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL
