July 28, 2004

Kenya's 2004/05 Corn Production Seen At 2.1 Million MT

Total corn production for Kenya for 2004/05 is projected at 2.1 million metric tons, about 15% below the previous year, according to information from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service web site, dated July 22 and released Tuesday.

Production

The Ministry of Agriculture projects maize production for 2004/05 at 2.34 million MT. FAS total production for 2004/05 is projected at 2.1 million MT, about 15% below the previous year. This is below the annual average of 2.43 million MT.

The decline in production is attributed to the poor rains in the last two years, low usage of farm inputs as well as lack of usage of improved planting material among other factors. The rains have been below normal in intensity, poorly distributed and characterized by long dry spells in some areas.