The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
20 July 2008
Mkinga, Tanga — Tanzania has agreed to sell Kenya thousands of tonnes of maize following a formal request by the neighbouring country.
The decision was made after a high-powered Kenyan government delegation met President Jakaya Kikwete when he was on a working tour of Mkinga District, Tanga Region.
The request was advanced by Kenya's Agriculture and Food Security minister, Mr William Ruto, when he met President Kikwete on Friday.
Mr Ruto said Kenya needed about 180, 000 tonnes of maize to offset an acute shortage of food in the country, adding that the amount was needed between now and October when Kenyan farmers will start harvesting.
"Your friend President Mwai Kibaki appeals to you to continue assisting him just like you have been doing," He told President Kikwete during the talks.
President Kikwete accepted the request, but said the demand was too big to be met by Tanzania's government for the time being.
He said Tanzania would start by selling about 4,000 tonnes of maize to Kenya while exploring other opportunities of buying from farmers maize harvested last season.
President Kikwete noted that the amount requested by Mr Ruto was bigger than the amount held in the national Strategic Grain Reserve (SGR).
Reports from Kenya said l 50,000 bags of maize were expected to arrive in the country from Tanzania from next month.
Mr Ruto said the exportation of maize followed the Tanzanian government's acceptance to allow Kenya to buy the staple.
"The maize will be here by the end of this week. Although it is not enough, we expect they (Tanzania) will agree to sell more to us," the Sunday Nation quoted Mr Ruto as saying.
After the first batch arrives, the minister explained, the Tanzania government will assess its stocks with a view to selling more to Kenya. Kenya has decided to buy the produce from its neighbour because it is the cheapest option, Mr Ruto added.
Tanzania is selling the maize to Kenya at $250 (about Sh320,000) a tonne. "We decided to buy maize from Tanzania because it is cheaper if you add transport costs, and this is the best value for our money," he said by telephone.
Mr Ruto pointed out that although South Africa has enough stocks of maize, it is too expensive to import. The Government is re-evaluating its stocks so that it does not flood the market with imports at the expense of local farmers, he added.
Although Kenya's government has authorised the importation of 3 million bags to fill the gap expected between August and September, the minister said, 1.5 million bags should be enough.
He said the crop currently on farms could meet the remaining expected shortfall once farmers start harvesting it in September.
The shortage is caused by post-election violence which saw maize stocks destroyed and delayed planting in some areas, as well as left farms idle due to displacements of growers.
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