NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 26 – Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi has given millers a one-week ultimatum to import maize or have their duty-free importation licenses revoked.
Speaking on Tuesday while meeting the millers at his office, Linturi accused a section of millers of exporting consumable grain to neighboring countries for more profit at the expense of Kenyan Citizens.
“On April 30, those people that will not have given us proof that there is something we are waiting for will have their licenses declared not valid,” he said.
“Some of you are exporting maize and rice to South Sudan and Tanzania. As we sit here, we have even impounded some of these commodities under our custody.”
He continued by saying that the government would not permit the millers to export food products to other nations when it is encountering food shortages.
“There is no country that will allow its millers to export food products while its own country lacks food and that is why so other countries are denying you their produce because they must feed their very own first,” CS Linturi said.
Last week the CS promised to summon over 20 local maize millers to find out why they are yet to lower the prices of their respective unga brands.
In an interview with Citizen TV on April 18, the CS stated that some unga brands have lowered prices as they are one of the beneficiaries of the government’s decision to grant maize millers permits to import maize duty-free.
“I have called all of the maize millers who are beneficiaries for a meeting on Friday because whatever revenue the government is going to lose by way of import duty must be reflected in the reduction of the price of that commodity in the market,” he said.
He pointed out that the price reduction may be the result of the brand’s consignment inventory starting to arrive.
The permits to import the duty-free maize are set to expire in August, just about when local maize farmers reap their harvests.
