Kenyans will soon start paying more for maize flour as demand for the commodity soars this January after the festive season.
According to the millers, the demand was expected to rise in December but did not due to consumption of other meals during Christmas and other festivities.
“In December there is normally lower demand for maize flour as households consume more of other goods other than maize flour. By the end of this week we shall have a clearer picture of what the market will look like going forward,” said Ken Nyaga, chairperson of the United Millers Association.
Read: Here Are Maize Flour Brands Declared Unfit for Human Consumption By KEBS
The retail price of flour is set to go up by Sh8 to 130, after jumping from to Sh122 from Sh108 in November 2021. This is due to high prices of the commodity which have hit Sh3,200 per sack from farmers, from Sh2,800. Last week, the National Cereals and Produce Board increased maize prices by Sh300 in a bid to woo more farmers to sell their stock.
The millers had last month written a letter to the Ministry of Agriculture, highlighting the impending high costs occasioned by the shortage of stocks.
Farmers from Trans-Nzoia however refuted the remarks, saying they had enough stocks.
“We are just from harvesting our main crop and there shouldn’t be talks of a shortage at the moment. Millers have been saying that there is a shortage but I told them that we have enough maize especially here in Trans-Nzoia,” said a farmer identified as Dr. Nzomo.
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