Kenyans will have to wait longer before accessing cheap maize flour due to the high cost of maize which is expected to affect purchasing power.
According to East African Grain Council (EAGC) Executive director Gerald Masila, the 2021/2022 crop year recorded a poor harvest as most people consumed the crop.
Masila noted that the appetite for roasted and boiled maize surged this year as Kenyans opted for alternative foods.
He also said that the expected harvest will not be much as farmers reduced farming acreage due to lack of fertilizer among other factors.
“Even with the expected harvest our estimation is that we might be at 60 per cent of a good normal harvest but still face a deficit in the coming year which could go as high as 35 per cent”, Masila noted.
Currently, farmers are selling a 90 kg bag of maize between KSh 4,000 and KSh 5,500.
In April, maize flour hit a record high of KSh 148 for a two-kilogramme packet; the highest price of maize flour to be ever released in the country.
The surge in maize flour prices was attributed to the high cost of maize which is also not readily available in the market.
The last time the maize flour was expensive was in 2017 when a two-killograme packet went for KSh 136.
The spike in prices was as a result of a serious drought.
“The price of maize has gone up and it is not readily available in the market, this is the reason why the price of flour is rising,” Rajan Shah, chief executive officer of Capwell Industries explained.
