Kenya's Maize Harvest Wipes Out Half its Expected Yield

The maize crop in Kenya has suffered its steepest decline in years due to a severe drought that hit the country's main grain-producing counties between June and July. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has revised its forecast for the 2026/27 marketing year, cutting it by 51% to 2.2 million metric tons.

This leaves the government facing a significant import problem: to keep bread and ugali on the table, Kenya will need to bring in a record 2.3 million metric tons of corn, according to the latest Grain and Feed report from the USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service in Nairobi, dated August 28.

The drought has also affected wheat production, with the forecast for that crop cut by more than half to 130,000 tons. Rice is the only bright spot, with irrigation at the Mwea scheme expected to hold milled production steady at 225,000 tons.