Area:
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570 000 sq.km
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Climate:
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North-east is semi-arid to arid; mountainous central and south-western areas have two rainy seasons: March-May and November December.
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Population:
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31.10 million (1999 estimate), GNP per caput US$ 330 (1997)
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Specific characteristics of the country:
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Low-income food-deficit country; regular importer and occasional exporter of grain.
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Logistics:
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Good port (Mombasa) and extensive rail and road network. Gateway to Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda
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Major foodcrops:
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Maize, wheat, pulses, roots and tubers
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Marketing year:
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October/September
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Lean season:
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June-July
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Share of cereals in total calorie intake:
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56 percent
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The 1999 main season maize crop, currently nearing maturity, has been affected by the scarcity and increasingly expensive agricultural inputs, erratic rains and armyworm infestation of some 50 000 hectares. Although area planted is similar to 1998, preliminary official estimates for the long rains season indicate a maize output of about 1.95 million tonnes compared to the previous five-year average of over 2.1 million tonnes. Significant output reductions were reported for the Eastern, Central and Rift Valley Provinces.
The food supply situation is critical in the northern and eastern pastoral districts where rainfall for this season has been erratic and insufficient to ensure that pastures and water supplies last until the next rains in October. Many herders have been forced to move their livestock several months earlier than usual to remote and insecure pastures. High and rising child malnutrition rates were reported for most of the pastoral districts. Severe food shortages were also reported, particularly from Kiambu, Kirinyaga, Maragua, Thika and Nyeri districts in Central Provinces. In response, the Government provided about 4 000 tonnes of relief food to vulnerable households in Eastern Province and the pastoral districts. The situation is likely to deteriorate in the coming months with the depletion of food stocks. Additional food aid is urgently needed for the affected population.
| Wheat | Rice | Coarse grains | Total | |
| Normal Production | 241 | 49 | 2 587 | 2 877 |
| Normal Imports | 311 | 57 | 312 | 680 |
| of which: Structural food aid | 74 | - | - | 74 |
| 1998/99 Domestic Availability | 465 | 161 | 3 175 | 3 801 |
| 1998 Production (rice in paddy terms) | 315 | 48 | 2 695 | 3 058 |
| 1998 Production (rice in milled terms) | 315 | 31 | 2 695 | 3 041 |
| Possible stock drawdown | 150 | 130 | 480 | 760 |
| 1998/99 Utilization | 765 | 281 | 3 545 | 4 591 |
| Food Use | 715 | 241 | 3 021 | 3 977 |
| of which: local purchase requirement | - | - | 6 | 6 |
| Non-food use | 50 | 40 | 501 | 591 |
| Exports or Re-exports | - | - | 23 | 23 |
| Possible stock build up | - | - | - | - |
| 1998/99 Import Requirement | 300 | 120 | 370 | 790 |
| Anticipated commercial imports | 251 | 120 | 350 | 721 |
| Food aid needs | 49 | - | 20 | 69 |
| Current Aid Position | ||||
| Food aid pledges | 53 | - | 23 | 76 |
| of which: Delivered | 45 | - | 22 | 67 |
| Donor-financed purchases | - | - | 29 | 29 |
| of which: for local use | - | - | 6 | 6 |
| for export | - | - | 23 | 23 |
| Estimated Per Caput Consumption (kg/Year) | 23 | 8 | 97 | 128 |
| Indexes | ||||
| 1998 production as % of normal: | 106 | |||
| 1998/99 import requirement as % of normal: | 116 | |||
| 1998/99 food aid requirement as % of normal: | 93 |
