NAIROBI, Feb. 5 (HANA)--Resumption of rains experienced in most parts of Kenya after a lengthy dry spell during most of November has facilitated significant improvements in food security, US-supported food security agency said on Friday.

  Already, pressure on food prices has eased, albeit marginally, as significant amounts of short cycle crops such as beans, potatoes, cowpeas and vegetables enter the market.
  However, the USAID-supported Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS Net) said in its latest report on Kenya that at least 3.8 million persons still remain food insecure in the country.

   “Currently an estimated 3.8 million people remain food insecurity in Kenya since only limited harvests have occurred while livestock have hardly recovered their productivity,” FEWS said in its food security outlook for January-June.

  The report says the food pipeline has had substantial breaks, limiting its capacity to moderate food security in areas that have suffered a succession of at least four poor or failed seasons.

  Agriculture Minister William Ruto said on Thursday the country would still have to import maize despite the bumper harvest anticipated in many areas. Maize is the staple diet for most Kenyans.
   The shortage resulted from the long rains that run from March to May not being sufficient in the North Rift, which is the country’s grain basket, said Ruto.

   Ruto who pledged to continue subsidizing fertilizer in a bid to cushion farmers from high input costs said the government would provide the commodity at 2,000 shillings down from the current 2,500 shillings in order to assist farmers to increase food productivity.
  “We were able to bring down the cost of fertilizer from an average of 6,000 shillings to an average of 2,500 shillings. We have 1.5 million bags in our stores and we are going to sell it at 2,000 shillings this year,” he said.
  The minister said the intervention measures that included the free distribution of seeds and subsidized fertilizer coupled with the adequate short rains that were received in many parts of the country had resulted in a bumper harvest of maize.
  About four million bags are expected to be harvested in several parts of the country which will help reduce the current maize deficit in the country to 12 million bags, he said.

   “The most likely situation between January and March points to significant improvements in food security, especially in the southeastern marginal agricultural livelihood, attributed primarily to a resurgence of rains in December,” FEWS said.

  According to the report which is an initiative between government, donors and aid agencies, higher than expected crop output in most areas of the country’s southeastern lowlands and coastal strip should move households from the highly food insecurity to the moderately food insecurity category.

  The report says while the current food security situation suggests that some improvement in the marginal areas of the southeastern and coastal areas, improvements will only be consolidated after the harvest from mid February through early March. Enditem

by Reporter....