The Government has expressed satisfaction that its initiatives geared towards improving the economy and bettering the lives of its citizens are bearing fruits.
Top on these initiatives has been the Government’s investments in agriculture through improvement of the priority value chains, subsidizing production materials such as fertilizers, certified seeds and provision of other farm inputs of which have now brought the country closer to food security.
Speaking in his office in Nairobi during a media briefing, the Government Spokesperson Dr. Isaac Mwaura recalled that the current administration came to power at a time when food imports to Kenya had spiraled from 10 percent to 17 percent of goods imports.
In essence, this increased the country’s vulnerability to global food supply shocks, and the government had to come up with measures to turn around the situation by intentionally prioritizing agriculture as the number one pillar of the BETA plan.
Consequently, faced with a situation where 54 percent of household expenditure for Kenyans goes towards buying food, Dr. Mwaura noted that the government found it wise to work out modalities of lowering food prices and instituted other means aimed at quickly lowering the cost of living for all.
“For instance, in 2022, we imported maize worth Sh10 billion, but thereafter we have become maize sufficient, saving ourselves the much-needed foreign exchange. Reassuringly, as a testament to our efforts in this sector, we now have enough maize stockpiles, we are having enough sugar and the prices of basic food items has steadily gone down where for example, a packet of 2kg maize is selling at a low of Sh120 marking a 3-year low,” stated Dr. Mwaura, as he pinpointed that Kenya’s inflation rate is at a 17-year low, signaling real work in progress.
To sustain this momentum, he revealed that the Government, in preparation for the upcoming long rains, has secured a consignment of 5.6 million bags of subsidized fertilizers, which would be available to farmers through the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB).
This initiative, according to the Government Spokesperson, is aimed at making the farm inputs affordable for enhanced agricultural productivity across the country, ultimately contributing to food security.
In addition to the fertilizers, Dr Maura disclosed that the government is also rolling out a seed and seedlings programme to support farmers in cultivating high-yielding crops.
By Michael Omondi