CSOs ask govt to create other markets for maize farmers

By Moses Ndhaye

Civil society Organizations have asked the government to promote trade policies which intend to promote trade beyond the East African region.

This follows a ban on imports of Ugandan and Tanzanian maize.

The ban has however since been lifted with strict conditions on exporters as the country seeks to curb shipping of the cancer-causing aflatoxin on imported crops.

Kenya’s Ministry of Agriculture said that all stakeholders dealing in maize imports would be required to be registered, the consignments coming in must be accompanied with certificate of conformity on aflatoxin levels and that traders have to issue details of their warehouses.

The executive director for the Southern and Eastern Africa Trade Information and Negotiations Institute (SEATINI) Jane Nalunga says, instead of begging Kenya to allow Ugandan maize, the government should focus on facilitating farmers to have modern storage facilities to ensure that  the produce does not get contaminated.

She says, re-organizing the maize market should also be key.

According to figures from the bank of Uganda, the annual exports of maize to Kenya are estimated at 900 million US dollars.

Written by Noelyn Nassuuna