Uganda and Tanzania Maize Affects Kenya’s Flour Prices

The price of maize flour in Kenya is not expected to fall anytime soon. This comes after millers reject maize from Uganda due to high levels of aflatoxins and high prices from Tanzania.

The Ugandan maize has high level of aflatoxin that is higher than the recommended levels in the country which is 10 parts per billion.

“Maize from Uganda has higher levels of aflatoxin going up to 120 parts per billion making it hard for us to mill it,” said Mr. Ken Nyagah, chairman of the Unites Grain Millers Association

With the crackdown that happened last year seeing some of the miller closed has led them to be careful on the Ugandan maize.

Tanzania’s maize that weighs 90 kg in the other hand had its prices shoot up by over Sh1000 from Sh2, 800.

There is speculation that the local farmers are hoarding maize with an expectation of better days.

This claim however has been refuted by a farmers lobby which says that the food prices in the market cannot allow farmers to hoard.

“It does not make any sense that farmers would be hoarding at this time… it is a costly affair for them to do so as it costs them up to Sh60 per bag in a month to preserve,” said Mr. Anthony Kioko, chief executive officer of Cereal Millers Growers Association.

Locally a bag of maize goes for about Sh2800 per 90 kg bag and it gets to Nairobi for about Sh3300.

At the supermarket shelves a two-kilogram of the stable flour goes for Sh130 for most brands while others being for Sh135