Maize flour often described as ‘the every man’s food’ became a rarity last year leading to an appeal for international food aid by the government. The maize shortage was partly caused by the drought and the maize scandal at the Ministry of Agriculture.
The government statement attributed the cause of the shortage to a host of international factors such as higher fertilizer prices, the oil crisis, and an international food crisis leading to higher prices on imported grains.
Based on our present mode of food production, we will always be a captive of international trade policies and fluctuations in market conditions far removed from our own. We will address our solution to sustainable food production in another article.
In this posting, we welcome back Mwarang’ethe, our partner in progress, who addressed this issue a while back. His opinions have recently been echoed by an MP seeking to pass a bill for a return to price controls on food prices. The relevant quotation in the story is, “maize and maize meal prices in urban areas have increased astronomically because, after liberalizing the market in 1993, we encouraged the emergence of highly-centralized large-scale milling facilities, promoting the consumption of highly-refined and expensive maize meal”. The entire story can be found HERE.
The Ugali Saga: A Better Perspective
Written by Mwarang'ethe
The shortage and cost of Ugali flour has captured the attention of Kenyans, and rightly so, in the recent days. Now, the question is, have we really been discussing the real issues? We venture to argue that many Kenyans are not aware of the real issues. This includes our politicians, journalists, etc. Thus, to the extent they we/are unaware, then, the real issues have not been discussed. (We will not discuss the issue of hoarding, as much as we know it is an issue).
So, what are the real issues? It is the objective of this short essay to bring out what the real issues so that the real debate can begin. The real issues can be discussed under the following headings:
(a) The nutrition question.
(b) The milling technology question.
(c) The quantity question.
1. THE NUTRITION QUESTION
There are three types of Ugali flour. These are:
(a) Whole maize meal.
(b) Partially de-germed maize meal.
(c) Fully de-germed maize meal, i.e. super sifted meal
From the nutrition point of view, the whole meal is the most nutritious of all. To that extent, medical people recommend we eat the whole meal. However, as many of you are aware, most Kenyans and especially, the educated (read brain washed) and those in the urban areas (so called urbanites) prefer the full de-germed. Why so? Well, to the educated and urbanites, this flour is whitish and therefore preferred. Also, since almost all fibers are removed so it is easier to digest.
Yes, it is easier to digest because; the fiber, nutrients like calcium, iron, niacin, riboflavin and fat are removed. Furthermore, the sifted meal also lacks two very vital types of proteins, i.e. globulins and glutelins, but has zein which is a poorer source of protein. Thus, under this heading, it is worth noting that we have adopted eating habits that are extremely poor in the name of sophistication. This is important considering that we rely on maize meal to the tune of over 70%.
2. THE MILLING TECHNOLOGY QUESTION
Taking cognizance of the types of meals, here, we venture to state that the sifted maize meal (full de-germed), is the most expensive to produce. This is because it requires very expensive meals called roll mills. On the other hand, whole meal is the cheapest to produce.
So, what are the implications? Since roll mills are very expensive, it is only the foreigners and some few very rich Kenyans who can afford such technology. However, if we had adopted the habit of eating whole meal, it would have given Wanjiku, the small scale miller, the chance to mill maize and sell to us. This would in turn lead to the operation of hundreds of small maize mills owned by Kenyans. But since we have adopted the habit of eating sifted maize meal, we have entrusted maize milling to the foreigners who use expensive IMPORTED and EXPENSIVE technology, whereas, the whole meal technology is CHEAP and available in Kenya and from other third world countries. Have you ever wondered why Africa keeps on getting poorer? Stop wondering, you can now see why.
3. QUANTITY QUESTION
Let's assume that we produce 1 metric tonne of maize every year. Let us also assume that we consume 1 metric tonne of maize every year. If we look at the situation this way, we produce enough maize meal for our nation. However, when we factor in the three types of maize meals, i.e. whole meal, partially de-germed and full germed maize mills, the equation changes.
If we mill 1 metric tonne of maize under the whole meal technology, we get back flour to the tune of 98%. If we use the de–germed meal technology, what ends on the table is around 80% of our initial input. Under the fully de-germed technology, we only get back around 60%. Simply, under the sifted maize technology which we have adopted, we end up with 40% deficit. This means that we have to IMPORT the 40% we lose under this technology. So, we have to look for $$$ and ££££ to import maize because we have lost it in the milling process. This seems to us nothing but madness.
3 (a) WHAT HAPPENS IN THE FULLY DE-GERMED TECHNOLOGY
Under this technology, we lose about 40% of our maize output because the by-products of this system are used as animal feed and oil production. For the animal feeds, much of this ends up being exported to the West to feed their animals, although some is used locally as well. Furthermore, most Kenyans cannot afford meat produced by these by products. Even more interesting, only 10% of the energy/food content of these by products is utilized by these animals. This means, that 90% of the food content in these by products is simply lost for good.
Conclusions
So what now? What Kenya needs is a different policy that encourages Kenyans to eat whole meal. If you read this essay carefully, the advantages of doing so are self evident. However, the question is, are the policy makers even interested in such a radical shift in policy? We venture to argue that they are not. But why do we argue so? Simply, when the big mills come to invest as foreign investors, they give the so called policy makers a share in the plants, (Remember Safaricom saga) and thus, they are accomplices in these schemes. Since Wanjiku will not give shares to these petty elites of Kenya/Africa, (we have nothing, but contempt for the African elite) she is not supported in her search for entrepreneurial success.
Finally, what we have written about this industry can be extended to other sectors of the economy. In that case, a wise person can start to see why Africa sinks into poverty every day despite all the efforts. We need a new way of thinking. It does not matter which incorrigible leader is in power, as long as we are ignorant of the very critical issues that contribute to poverty or wealth creation of any nation, we will remain a desolate destitute people. We invite the reader to engage in a constructive debate to put our country on the path to prosperity.
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