Maize stock to last six months, Made

A Cabinet minister has ruled out food crisis in the country saying there is enough food cover for six months.

Agriculture  minister Joseph Made told  the Senate that the is 250 000 metric tonnes of grain currently in stock.

"The total figure of planted crops today is 1,2 million hectares for maize compared to 773 000 hectares for the previous season, sorghum has 188 000 hectares compared to 86 000 hectares, cotton 155 000 hectares compared to 105 000 hectares the previous season, and tobacco 147 000 hectares compared to 94 000 hectares the previous season".

Made said he would not introduce the maize import parity price because the conditions of growing the crop were different from other countries.

"Our farmers are still struggling with financing for the crop, and we had to reject some financing on account of high interest rates. So, we are not going to change the price of $390 per metric tonne" he said.