Wheat Farming: Kenya has lifted the prohibition on US wheat following a deal between President President Uhuru Kenyatta and Donald Trump. Yesterday, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced that U.S. wheat may now be shipped to Kenya regardless of state of origin or port of export.
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This will allow U.S. wheat from Idaho, Oregon, and Washington to be added to the list of states that can ship wheat to Kenya. “American farmers in the Pacific Northwest now have full access to the Kenyan wheat market,” said Greg Ibach, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs. “This action proves our commitment to securing fair treatment and greater access for U.S. products in the global marketplace.”
Currently, Kenya’s wheat farming and market, valued at nearly Sh. 50 billion ($500 million) annually.
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“Kenya is a net importer of wheat, bringing in two-thirds of its requirement to meet the annual consumption of 900,000 tonnes against the production of 350,000 tonnes. Kenya charges 10 percent duty on all imported wheat, which is cheaper than the locally-produced commodity,” says a related report that appeared in a local daily.
“Going forward, the USDA team looks forward to building on this success and further strengthening our relationship with Kenya as we pursue a new bilateral free trade agreement that will create additional market opportunities for US producers and exporters,” said US Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Ted McKinney in a statement.
