Kenya is considering opening duty-free corn imports. This was reported by "Agroexport".
So, against the background of the lowest corn harvest in the last seven years (according to USDA forecasts, 3 million tons, which is 12% lower than in the 2025/26 season, but this estimate may be significantly reduced after harvesting), Kenya is considering the possibility of introducing a duty-free corn import regime.
A significant reduction in national production may have an extremely negative impact on the domestic market, since corn consumption in the country in recent seasons has been at the level of 4.1-4.5 million tons, of which about 430-560 thousand tons were imported. At the same time, supplies were mainly from Tanzania and Uganda, which are members of the East African Community (EAC), and therefore trade with them is not subject to import duties.
A significant drop in gross harvest forces Kenya to look for additional suppliers, in connection with which it is reported that the country has signed an agreement with Zambia on the supply of 540 thousand tons of white non-GMO corn, which is used for food purposes. However, there is also a shortage of yellow corn in the country, which is used for fodder purposes. Against this background, it is noted that the Kenyan government may open duty-free imports for 3 million tons of corn, "Agroexport" notes.
Since import duties on corn in Kenya reach 50% for countries outside the EAC and COMESA, Russia is not one of the traditional suppliers of this crop, however, in 2017, Russian exporters shipped about 37 thousand tons of corn to Kenya. In addition, Russia is the largest supplier of wheat to Kenya, and the potential increase in demand for non-GMO corn from Kenyan importers will help diversify Russian shipments.
