“No maize for you” Zambia shortages Kenya just a month after striking a deal on maize importation
Zambia government declares maize shortage in the country just a month after striking maize importation deal with Kenya
Zambia government declares maize shortage in the country just a month after striking maize importation deal with Kenya.
On Tuesday, April 11, the Zambian Government announced a maize shortage that was threatening food security in the country.
The shortage, which was announced by the country’s Ministry of Finance and National Planning, was made barely a month after Kenya inked a deal to grow maize in the South African country.
The Zambian government said via a statement that, like Kenya, it will turn to the importation of duty-free maize.
“The finance minister Situmbeko Musokotwane has signed a statutory instrument to provide for the suspension of duty on maize flour.
“The measure has been implemented to help address the shortage of maize flour in some parts of the country,” the statement read in part.
Musokotwane revealed that suspending the duty would increase the availability of Zambia’s staple commodity.
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary (CS) Mithika Linturi on March 2023 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with his Zambian counterpart Mtolo Phiri of large-scale farming of maize in Zambia for export to Kenya.
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The CS declared upon the signing of the MoU that “Kenya will be signing a contract with local farmers in Zambia in the next month that will see them grow maize for export to the Kenyan market.”
The development, according to Linturi, was a long-term strategy by the government to reduce food insecurity in the nation.
The CS at the time stated, “The Government of Zambia has provided us with a chance to ship maize from Zambia to Kenya.
According to the agreement, the two countries would enter into a contract requiring farmers in Zambia to grow maize only for export to Kenya.
According to the agreement, 20,000–40,000 hectares will be set aside for the cultivation of maize for the Kenyan market.
On why the government had settled on Zambia, Linturi explained, “The cost of production in Zambia is quite low as I will be getting Ksh40,000 per tonne.”
In light of Zambia’s maize scarcity, the Agriculture Ministry has not yet made a declaration regarding whether the agreement will be maintained.
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