Kenya’s maize imports rose sharply in 2025 after the government opened a duty-free importation window for yellow maize, highlighting the country’s growing dependence on external supplies to meet food and animal feed demand.
New figures contained in the 2026 Economic Survey show maize imports increased by 51.4 percent to 468,109 metric tonnes in 2025, reversing two consecutive years of decline.
The value of the imports also climbed significantly, with traders spending Sh13.17 billion compared to Sh10.08 billion in 2024, representing a 30.6 percent increase.
The rebound followed a government decision allowing duty-free importation of 5.5 million bags of yellow maize for animal feed production.
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said the intervention was aimed at easing pressure on white maize supplies used for human consumption.
“The Ministry of Agriculture notes the growing competition between animal feed millers and maize millers for human consumption over the limited maize grain stocks available in the country,” Kagwe said.
“As a result of this increasing demand, the price of a 90-kg bag of maize has risen by approximately 26 percent compared to three months ago,” he added.
According to the ministry, the policy was designed to redirect demand in the market by encouraging feed manufacturers to switch to yellow maize imports, thereby preserving local white maize stocks for flour production.
“The objective is to reduce pressure on local white maize stocks by shifting animal feed millers to yellow maize. This will allow millers focused on human consumption to access available maize at fairer prices, ultimately leading to reduced production costs and more stable unga prices for consumers,” Kagwe said.
The government allowed importation of non-GMO yellow maize from countries outside the seven-member East African Community bloc, exempting traders from the usual 50 percent import duty.
Officials said the move was necessary to separate demand for food and animal feed production amid tight grain supplies.
Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics shows local maize production rose marginally by 2.2 percent to 45.8 million 90-kilogramme bags in 2025, up from 44.8 million bags the previous year.
Import volumes have fluctuated sharply in recent years. Shipments reached about 794,000 tonnes in 2022 before falling by 36 percent in 2023 and a further 39 percent in 2024.
The latest increase underscores how government policy changes continue to shape Kenya’s grain trade as the country struggles to balance food security and rising demand from the animal feed sector.