Maize

Kenya is ready to increase maize imports from Uganda but insists that strict food safety standards must accompany expanded trade.

The shift highlights a changing structure in Egypt’s grain market: wheat remains the country’s most strategically important food crop, but rising demand for poultry and livestock feed is increasing the need for imported maize.

South Africa’s grain economy is anchored by maize, supported by a structurally constrained wheat sector and a rapidly expanding soybean industry.

Kenya’s maize sector has faced recurring challenges from erratic rainfall, high input costs and logistical bottlenecks, even as the government promotes subsidized fertilizer and seed programmes to boost domestic production.

The 2026 finalists reflect steady farm growth as more developing grain producers move closer to commercial production.