Investments, Trade and Industry CS Lee Kinyanjui now says that dependence on imports continues to hurt Kenya’s food security.
Speaking on Spice FM on Thursday, Kinyanjui said this reliance on imports is what creates the deficit that, in the end, leads the country into debt.
He noted that, for instance, Kenya’s wheat imports stand at about 90 per cent, despite having a good climate for the production of the same.
The CS said that currently, local wheat production stands at barely 40% or less
“We are in a system that is so dependent on imports and that creates a deficit situation because if for every solution, from food to clothing to healthcare is foreign oriented then it means you will forever be in debt. Even before we go to exporting other things, we already have a kitchen deficit. You find that of our big imports, food is one of the items.
“Kenya imports nearly 90% of its wheat, yet in areas of Nakuru, Eldoret, Nanyuki we are barely doing 40% of our capacity. Why can’t we explore the other 40 so we can reduce our imports? The weather is right, why are we not doing this?” Kinyanjui posed.
The Trade CS further stated that Kenyan farmers have been gambling a lot in agriculture with what to plant and how to sell.
He said it has been difficult for some of them to secure loans because they never know how much they will sell for once they harvest.
“There's a lot of Casino business in agriculture. A farmer who produces maize does not know how much he or she will sell it.”
Kinyanjui, however, noted that it is the responsibility of the government to reverse this.
He added that his ministry is working closely with that of Agriculture and other stakeholders to find a solution to these challenges.
“It is the responsibility of governments to try and reverse that equation so that in every aspect, if it's food, how do we get to self-sustainable levels.
“Before we work on anything else, we must work on our food security because that is where our bill goes, and as we seek to service out debts, we need to clear that.”
