Cereal Millers Association CEO Paloma Fernandes addresses the media during the sector’s annual Cereal Technical Conference and Expo 2026, in Nairobi/ MARTIN MWITAConsumers could face higher prices for wheat flour, bread, chapatis and other wheat-based products if delays in issuing C60 wheat import approvals continue, the Cereal Millers Association (CMA) has warned.
CMA Chief Executive Officer Paloma Fernandes said delays in releasing approvals are leaving wheat consignments at risk of incurring demurrage, storage, and financing costs, which could eventually be passed on to consumers.
A C60 is a government control document issued to approved millers allowing them to import specified quantities of wheat under the Duty Remission Scheme for processing into flour for the Kenyan market.
“Millers have fulfilled the requirements of the Local Wheat Purchase Programme and committed to purchase local wheat at Sh5,100 per 90kg bag. With these commitments in place, we respectfully urge that the necessary import approvals be released at the earliest opportunity,” Fernandes said.
“Every additional day of delay adds demurrage, storage and financing costs which do not benefit the farmer, the miller or the consumer. They are simply additional costs being introduced into the food supply chain.”
The warning comes as Kenya remains heavily dependent on imported wheat to meet domestic demand.
The Agricultural and Food Authority (AFA) estimates Kenya’s annual wheat requirement at between 2.2 million and 2.4 million tonnes, while local production has historically supplied only about eight per cent of demand. In 2023, Kenya produced about 135,000 tonnes against consumption of 2.2 million tonnes, according to AFA data.
More recent trade data show the scale of the import dependence. Kenya imported about 2.24 million tonnes of wheat in 2025, with the value of unmilled wheat imports falling to Sh41.73 billion from Sh85.73 billion in 2024 as international prices declined.
Fernandes said the heavy reliance on imports means Kenya cannot afford disruptions in the arrival and clearance of wheat.
Under the current wheat import framework, millers are required to purchase available locally produced wheat before receiving allocations to import wheat under the C60 system.
CMA members have committed to buying locally produced wheat at Sh5,100 per 90kg bag, up from Sh4,750, as part of efforts to provide farmers with a reliable market.
The association said the commitment is in addition to the industry’s annual contribution of close to Sh2 billion through the Agriculture and Food Authority levy, which supports local wheat production and the Local Wheat Purchase Programme.
“This commitment underscores the milling industry’s continued role in sustaining Kenyan wheat farmers. Supporting local farmers and ensuring adequate imports are not competing objectives. Kenya needs both,” Fernandes said.
She said millers had fulfilled their obligations under the local wheat purchase arrangement but were still waiting for outstanding import approvals.
The delays are coming at a sensitive time for global grain markets, with renewed disruption along the Black Sea, one of the world’s most important grain-exporting regions.
Russia and Ukraine have intensified attacks on ports, vessels and grain infrastructure in recent weeks. Data shows that in July European wheat prices jumped seven per cent in a single trading session, while Chicago wheat futures rose five per cent as the attacks raised concerns about grain supplies and shipping routes. Ukraine has also lost about a third of its Black Sea grain-export capacity, according to its farmers’ union.
For Kenya, the disruption is significant because Russia has become one of the country's major wheat suppliers.
Kenya is expected to receive about 1.4 million tonnes of Russian wheat during the 2025/26 marketing year, according to figures from Russia’s Centre for Agricultural Export Development, representing a 10 per cent increase from the previous season.
Fernandes said the global situation makes it even more important for Kenya to maintain a predictable wheat import system.
“At a time when the global wheat supply chain is once again under pressure, Kenya cannot afford to create an additional bottleneck at home. We should be doing everything possible to secure supplies and keep the cost of food stable, not adding costs through administrative delays,” she said.
The CMA warned that prolonged delays could affect millers’ ability to maintain uninterrupted production, particularly given Kenya’s large structural wheat deficit.
She said imports are necessary to bridge the gap between local production and national consumption, even as the government continues to encourage increased domestic wheat production.
The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics’ latest Economic Survey shows the wider importance of agriculture to the economy, with the Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing sector growing by 3.1 per cent in 2025.
Fernandes said ensuring farmers have a ready market should remain a priority, but administrative processes should not interfere with the import planning needed to maintain adequate stocks.
CMA has called on AFA and other relevant government agencies to release all outstanding C60 approvals, prioritise wheat consignments already at the port and ensure that future local wheat purchase negotiations do not delay import planning and vessel clearance.
“The priority remains protecting the farmer, maintaining an uninterrupted wheat supply and ensuring that Kenyan families continue to have access to affordable wheat flour, bread and other essential foods,” Fernandes said.
