Lately, I’ve been thinking about the state of our economy, and it’s pretty obvious that regardless of who takes power in August 2022, he will face some difficult time ahead. We all know that the fuel subsidy scheme as it is, is not sustainable and is being held together with cellotape until it collapses in whoever’s hands it will be handed over. The prices of Maize, cooking gas, cooking fat and maize are all going up. Uganda and Tanzania have resorted to blocking Maize exports.
Zimbabwe is currently experiencing a 131% inflation . It is only a fool who must learn from his mistakes. A wise man learns from the mistakes of others. In addition, the numerous chemicals being sprayed on our food shoud be a source of worry to anyone with a conscience. From wheat to Maize to tomatoes and garlic from china. As they say, food can be the quickest medicine or the slowest poison.
If you have a plot somewhere, or a piece of land Get a dairy goat for you milk and meat. Rear chickens and rabbits. Grow your own vegetables. my brothers from western and Nyanza. Stop this habit of slaving in Nairobi when you have acres of land lying Idle at home. If you already have cattle, make sure you have a Biogas system installed. Why would you buy gas when you have a piece of land? Taking a Progas tank to your rural home is not a sign of progress (I’m guilty of that); it’s a sign of intellectual dependency. If you can’t use biogas, use firewood/sawdust/charcoal as much as possible.
WHEN things go bad and inflation hits 100%, your 1 million shillings in the bank will be 500,000 at such a time next year. What if it hits 200%? 300%?
It is foolish to think that this can’t happen to us. We are not better than Zimbabwe, Argentina, Siri Lanka or Greece. It doesn’t matter whether KK or Jubilee will take/retain power, self-reliance should be your goal
[SIZE=6]US gives three East African states ultimatum to reverse mitumba ban[/SIZE]
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 15 2018 https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/resource/image/1384050/landscape_ratio16x9/1160/652/6a5e0e2a9630035580caa2f21a98af3e/IV/mtush.jpg
Mitumba on sale. US says Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda have until February 23, 2018 to reverse the mitumba ban or face the penalties.FILE PHOTO | NMG Summary
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[li]Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda have until next week to reverse the decision or face the penalties.[/li][li]EAC member states agreed two years ago to impose phased ban on used clothing imports over a three-year period beginning 2019.[/li][li]The three countries argue that the action was essential to their efforts to develop domestic clothing manufacturing industries.[/li][/ul]
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East African nations that are en-route to banning the importation of used clothes may soon pay the price after Washington said it will impose trade penalties in retaliation to what it sees as a blockage of free trade.
The US State Department’s Harry Sullivan, the Africa Bureau acting head of the economic and regional affairs, said Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda have until next week to reverse the decision or face the penalties.
The East African leaders are expected to meet at the EAC Heads of State Summit on Infrastructure and Health Financing and Development in Kampala, Uganda on February 23.
“I believe the results of the meeting next week will determine how we proceed,” Mr Sullivan said in a conference call with reporters.
East African Community (EAC) member states agreed two years ago to impose phased ban on used clothing imports (known as mitumba) over a three-year period beginning 2019.
Kenya subsequently withdrew from that agreement following US threats to end its eligibility for duty-free clothing exports to the US market under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa).
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Kenyan retreat
US trade officials say that the mitumba ban violates an Agoa stipulation requiring beneficiary countries to eliminate barriers to trade with the America.
Kenya feared the loss of the duty-free and quota-free access to the US, its third largest market.
Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda — each of which earns far less through Agoa than Kenya — jointly affirmed last July that they intend to proceed with the mitumba ban.
The three countries argued that the action was essential to their efforts to develop domestic clothing manufacturing industries.
The Trump administration disputes that reasoning.
“While we understand the East African Community’s desire to build a domestic textile sector, we firmly believe the EAC ban on imports of used clothing will not achieve that,” Mr Sullivan told reporters.
Making inexpensive mitumba unavailable will adversely affect many people in the three countries, he suggested.
“Leaders or the EAC are saying to consumers of used clothing we are going to take this choice away from you and you will not have access to this market anymore,” he said.
“We question whether consumers of used clothing will be able to afford the new apparel being made in the East African Community market.”
A more effective way of developing domestic clothing industries would entail encouraging middle-class consumers to buy locally made apparel, Mr Sullivan proposed.
An East African fashion industry could “build its brand and market to the growing middle class, which prefers to buy its apparel in shopping malls and other places anyway,” he said.
I partly agree with you. However, I don’t believe its possible or even smart to be fully self-reliant. Self-reliance makes us less efficient overall. That farmer in Rift Valley should farm his hundreds of acres of maize only. He can trade with the other guy from Nyandarua who has milk and potatoes. I think self-reliance should end at the national level not at the individual level.
I used to view owning a house as a way of “kulalisha pesa” but after covid, I learnt that it de-risks a person’s life considerably. In my view, if you own a house, and farm at least one thing (which you can sell commercially), you are largely self-reliant.
I heard Ndindi Nyoro is the man to watch, the boy will fix the Kenya economy in a flash.
Anyways, sisi wote hatuwezi rudi mashambani, in my opinion, if one has the means, why not start venturing in places like nyahururu County every fortnight for your supply of vegetables ?
Then weekend moja hivi, you land pale umaasaini , mikiwa mtu nne ama mbili, depending with the strenght of your pocket, buy a whole cow and subdivided, those guys will slaughter it for you.
Ukambani sio mbali pia for goat meat, also stock as much dry food as you can.
It is very possible, achieving self sustainance during the inflation phase should be a priority to any sane farmer… After all, a kitchen garden of a few square feet is enough to feed your nucleus and extended families with crucial vegetables. Secondly, even if we talk commercialization, maize is not profitable! That is why more farmers are into cane farming as an alternative, they just grow enough maize for family and store in “kinga njaa bags”. A radical shift from govt bringing costs of input lower might return more farmers (western/tranzoia belt) to maize farming. As is, everyone does their own math, if it doesn’t make sense they back out. The end justifies the means.
Wrong. Maize is extremely profitable. The problem arises when people with plots try to farm it instead of letting the guy with 100 acres in Rift Valley farm it.
Farm vegetables in plots, grains wachia plantation owners.
Najaribu kupiga mbisha hio kitchen garden, feeding an extended family, inatoka ikiwa blank.
Let’s start by planting a versatile vegetable like sukumawiki in my back yard, not sure how many months it will take to mature, and whenever it matures how many times in a week can i be plucking these vegetables to feed a family of three ?
A small kitchen garden 10m squared has more sukumawiki that you can utilize, infact you’ll hawk some to neighbors in under two months if weather and soil agrees with your crop. You’ll harvest the same for approximately 4 months, non hybrid variety…even longer if you are conservative. For a family of three hio mboga huwezi maliza, panda 5m by 5m well spaced and weeded…thats too much sukuma ata itaharibika from overgrowth during rainy days.
The problem the govt is not telling farmers this, infact its encouraging them to plant maize despite low acrage and i understand, i would do the same too and that explains my point why farmers are abandoning maize farming… I still plant, is it profitable, nope; you spend north of 35k per acre leasing charges inclusive. Expected yield in tranzoia is 20-25 bags. Expected gross return with normal pricing, 2250 which is about 56,000 bob. Which means i have been struggling to get a profit of 20k in one year!!! Not sustaining, unless i hoard to get a good crop price 8 months after harvest. However, as acrage increases you make some decent money.
My retirement plan is to settle on a fully self-reliant 90% green energy farm in Endebess. Kutoka tu ni shopping centre kuchukua ginger, tusaumu na cans za beer na kurudi
If the economy did not collapse during the Nyayo error, it is unlikely to collapse now.
In 1993 for instance, the inflation rate in Kenya was 45.98 % compared to the global average of 7.51 %.
In my opinion, the thing we need to focus on is to stop being too reliant on rain fed agriculture and massively expand our acerage under irrigation.
Unfortunately, our level of corruption is so high that highly experienced Israeli consultants left the country in disbelief after the Galana Kulalu scheme was looted resulting in its collapse.
Arror and Kimwarer schemes were looted even before they got off the drawing board with absolutely nothing to show on the ground.
Generally, we need to find ways to stop the Ksh 2 Billion being looted every single day and we will easily be self reliant.
And you think that Greece had a worse govt than the Moi error? You are talking about We and worrying about corruption. Stop this obsession with gvt dependency