Peter Munya, the cabinet secretary for agriculture, announced that starting on Thursday, the government will stop imposing any fees on imported maize.
The goal, according to Munya, is to bring down the price of flour, which now sells for Sh210 for a two-kilo packet.
The United Grain Millers Association (UGMA), a group representing small and medium-sized millers, has responded to Munya’s move by claiming that it is so inconsequential that it will not have an effect on consumers.
The UGMA chairman Ken Nyaga remarked, “The move is so minor, we need a strong government intervention on making the maize available in order to considerably lower the cost of flour.”
A 90-kilo bag of imported maize costs Sh100, and one bag yields 36 packets of two kilos when milled, so eliminating the levies will only result in a Sh2.7 reduction in price.
