The high cost of feed has caused poultry farmers to become frustrated and has even led some of them to leave the industry due to financial losses. Those who had switched to poultry farming after facing difficulties with pig & dairy farming, due to high costs and marketing issues, are now struggling again due to the increasing cost of feed.
According to John Gathogo, the Chairman of the Association of Kenya Feed Manufacturers, the high cost of raw materials has caused 50% of Kenya’s poultry feed manufacturers to go out of business or scale back their operations in the past two years. This has lead to a decrease in egg production as farmers struggle with the rising cost of livestock feed.
Gathogo also noted that the cost of feed for livestock has significantly increased in the past two years, forcing farmers to either decrease their stock or reduce the amount of feed given to each animal.”
Maize is a popular choice for use in poultry feed because it is high in energy, low in fiber, and contains pigments and essential fatty acids. As a result, it is often included in poultry diets at a high level (60-70%), making it a significant contributor to poultry’s protein requirements (about 30% of the total).
According to Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi, the Kenyan government will not allow duty-free imports of maize until February 2023. At that time, registered millers will be permitted to import maize duty-free until the end of April 2023. In the meantime, these millers will still be able to import wheat with a 10% duty reduction and rice at the normal duty rate to supplement the domestic maize supply.
As the price of eggs increases, it becomes more challenging for people in Kenya to afford them, leading to smaller servings of eggs and an increased reliance on cheaper, carbohydrate-rich staples such as ugali. However, eggs are typically the most affordable source of animal protein for urban residents.
Agriculture CS Mithika Linturi
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Linturi announced that the Ministry of Agriculture has submitted a proposal to the Cabinet requesting permission to import 900,000 tonnes, or 10 million bags, of maize duty-free. This news comes shortly after Trade Cabinet Secretary Kuria revealed that farmers in Kenya have stockpiled 20 million bags of maize from the current crop season.
Trade Cabinet Secretary Kuria recently announced that the government will allow traders to import at least 10 million bags of both genetically modified (GMO) and non-GMO maize over the next six months in order to address the deficit in the maize supply. Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Linturi confirmed that the government is planning to import maize duty-free from other countries to alleviate hunger.
This duty-free importation window will be in place for three months starting on February 1, 2023, according to Linturi, who made the announcement in a statement read by Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah in Parliament. The announcement was prompted by a request from Pokot South MP David Pkosing for information on the planned importation of 10 million bags of maize at a time when farmers in grain-producing regions are harvesting their crops.
Linturi stated that the 10 million bags of maize to be imported will be white maize. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Kenya typically imports between four and six million bags of maize each year, mostly by private sector companies and relief organizations. Linturi also mentioned that data suggests that the country will have a surplus of 14.8 million bags of maize by January, once the current crop season ends.
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