January 18, 2011

Kenya's grain reserves to last until end of March

Kenya's strategic grain reserves have fallen to three million 90-kilogramme bags of corn, enough to meet national requirements only until end of March, local news reports Monday (Jan 17).

This is five million bags of corn short of the amount required to cushion the country from food shortages, the paper says.

The director of administration in the Special Programs Ministry, James Chepsongol, said that a request for funds had been made to the Treasury to restock the reserves. He would not say how much was being sought. "A lot of resources are required, but we shall be restocking the reserves soon," he said.

The corn shortage has been attributed to drought in most parts of the country. However, in some areas in Northern Rift Valley, farmers are complaining that the government has failed to buy the corn from their bumper harvest.

Kenya banned corn exports and removed duty on imports in 2009 to deal with an earlier shortage.