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Kenya: Food Situation Bleak
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The Nation (Nairobi)
EDITORIAL
1 May 2008
Posted to the web 30 April 2008
A severe food crisis that has hit various parts of the world is fast spreading to our region. However, there are no indications that anything is being done to avert the crisis or mitigate its impact.
Already, there are reports of food deficits in parts of the country, and the auguries are bleak. The crisis threatens to become acute given the economic and agricultural slow-down brought about by the chaos after the disputed December elections.
What is worse, the country's grain basket, the Rift Valley, bore the full brunt of the chaos. Not only were farmers uprooted from their farms and consigned to refugee camps, those who remained have not had the peace of mind or resources to till the land.
The cost of fertiliser, seeds and other farm inputs have shot through the ceiling, and there are no indications there will be a respite.
A couple of days ago, Agriculture minister William Ruto announced a reduction in fertiliser prices, and also said the country had grain reserves that could last three months.
These measures may sound good on paper, but they cannot fully tackle the looming crisis, which calls for more well thought-out interventions.
Whereas in the past, Kenya could dash to Europe and America for food aid, things are different this time because hunger has hit nearly all parts of the world, leading to massive protests.
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Kenya must, therefore, do what it takes to avert starvation. If there are food stocks anywhere that can be acquired and stored, now is the time to do so.
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