Kenyan investors seek urgent actions to spur food security amid Ukraine-Russia conflict

NAIROBI, May 23– Urgent interventions are required to boost Kenya’s food security that has been negatively impacted by global supply-chain disruption caused by the Ukraine- Russia conflict, an umbrella body of private investors said Monday. Carole Kariuki, CEO of Kenya Private Sector Alliance told journalists in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital that the country…

NAIROBI, May 23 (Xinhua) — Urgent interventions are required to boost Kenya’s food security that has been negatively impacted by global supply-chain disruption caused by the Ukraine-Russia conflict, an umbrella body of private investors said Monday.

Carole Kariuki, CEO of Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) told journalists in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital that the country imports about 60 percent of its wheat production deficit from Russia, and the disruption of supplies has caused millers to resort to expensive imports from other source markets.

“We need to explore alternative markets for key products sourced from Ukraine and Russia such as edible oils, wheat, steel, and fertilizer,” Kariuki said during a roundtable meeting between KEPSA and the national development implementation communication cabinet committee (NDICCC).

The apex body of the private sector urged the government to grant duty exemption on all wheat imports in order to cushion consumers from the rising cost of the cereal.

Kariuki said that the Russia-Ukraine crisis has also prioritized the need for Kenya to transition from rain-fed agriculture and adopt measures to increase irrigation as part of measures to expand local food production. Enditem