The Ministry of Agriculture has allowed Animal feed manufacturers to import yellow maize with minimal GMO content in an effort to curb the raising costs of animal feed raw materials. The Ministry has reduced the level of yellow maize purity from genetically modified organisms (GMO) to 99 percent from the previous 100 percent. Feed manufacturers were allowed to import GMO cotton seed cake from any part of the world to boost the production of feeds in the country. However, Kenya is yet to lift the 2012 ban on imports of GMO products in the country.

The move follows a virtual Global Grain Trade Round Table on the animal feeds supply crisis in East Africa region, with a focus on Kenya, hosted by the International Grain Trade Coalition (IGTC) in partnership with the Eastern Africa Grain Council (EAGC) on 8th March 2022.

Principal Secretary (PS), State Department for Livestock in Kenya, Dr. Harry Kimutai, during the round table meeting assured participants that the Government of Kenya was in the process of considering the lifting of ban on GMO as most countries are currently producing GMO raw materials.