Kenya, Uganda seek to boost maize trade and agricultural cooperation

By Joseph Ng’ang’a (KNA)

Kenya and Uganda are seeking to deepen cross-border maize trade and remove barriers to agricultural commerce.

Consequently, Kenya has called for improved post-harvest handling of Ugandan maize to guarantee food safety and expand market opportunities.

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said Uganda is well positioned to supply part of Kenya’s maize deficit but urged the country to strengthen maize drying and storage practices to address moisture and aflatoxin concerns.

Speaking during a luncheon meeting with Uganda’s Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture, Kagwe said addressing food safety concerns at source would create a win-win situation for farmers and consumers in both countries.

“We need a system in Uganda where maize is dried before it crosses the border. We can buy, but we need aflatoxin-free maize,” he said.

Kagwe said concerns over moisture and aflatoxin levels had made some Kenyan millers reluctant to purchase maize from Uganda, noting that resolving the challenges would facilitate increased trade while protecting consumers.

He said Kenya would continue enforcing food safety and quality standards for agricultural products entering the country even as it works with neighbouring states to promote regional trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

“We have to ease off these small tariff and non-tariff barriers. We have to look for ways in agriculture where it is a win-win situation,” Kagwe said.

The CS said African countries should leverage their different agricultural strengths to complement each other and create reliable markets for farmers while improving food security across the continent.

Kagwe also invited Uganda to adopt Kenya’s Animal Identification and Traceability (ANITRAC) technology, which targets about 77 million livestock and is intended to strengthen animal identification, traceability and efforts to combat cattle rustling.

He said greater sharing of agricultural technologies and expertise would strengthen regional integration and deliver practical benefits to farmers and consumers.

The Ugandan Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture called for increased intra-African agricultural trade, saying countries were still not trading sufficiently among themselves despite the establishment of AfCFTA.

The legislators called for harmonisation of agricultural and trade protocols, including within the East African Community, to facilitate movement of agricultural produce while maintaining safety and quality standards.

They identified climate change, water for production, pest and disease control, energy, cold storage, extension services, weak markets, value addition and agribusiness as areas requiring increased investment and regional cooperation.

The legislators identified agricultural financing as a major challenge, noting that the sector remains underfunded despite its contribution to food security, employment and rural livelihoods.

The Ugandan delegation said agriculture receives about 2.2 per cent of the country’s national budget, which it termed inadequate given the sector’s importance to the economy.

Kenya’s National Assembly Agriculture and Livestock Committee Chairperson Dr John Mutunga said Kenya similarly needs to increase investment in agriculture to unlock the sector’s potential to create jobs and drive economic growth.

Mutunga said countries that had successfully transformed their economies had deliberately invested in agriculture before developing agro-processing, value addition and industries.

He cited Kenya’s fertiliser and seed subsidy programmes, soil health initiatives and expansion of last-mile distribution as measures aimed at increasing agricultural productivity.

Mutunga said farmer registration in Kenya had grown from about 250,000 to more than 7.2 million, providing the Government with a stronger platform for targeting agricultural interventions.

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