THE country faces a deficit of about three million bags of maize.

Consequently, the Government has sent out an appeal for assistance from donors.

Agriculture Minister, Mr William Ruto said the stock available would last until August.

Already, some countries have heeded the call.

"The Government of Thailand has to give us one million bags of relief maize. We need about two million others to top up our stock," said the minister.

Ruto was speaking in his office yesterday when he received the Japan International Co-operation Agency (Jica) Vice-President, Mr Kenzo Oshima, who called on him.

The minister asked Japan to intervene but noted that Jica had pledged to give fertiliser worth Sh414million.

Ruto said already the Government has set aside Sh300million to provide seeds to the displaced.

He said a fertiliser deal would be signed next week. This will make fertiliser affordable to farmers. Ruto recently accused the suppliers of hiking prices of fertilisers and other inputs and has since asked the National Cereals and Produce Board to seek alternative ways of reducing prices of top dressing fertiliser to about Sh1, 650.

The minister also said the Government in collaboration with Jica would embark on an aggressive campaign to revitalise rice growing.

Ruto however said emphasis will be on existing growing areas among them Mwea, Ahero and parts of the coast.

He said rice-growing regions had been neglected. Ruto said the Government plans to encourage rice by paying farmers more for the commodity.

"If the country's huge potential in growing rice were well utilised, the current food shortage wouldn't have been an issue," he said.

Ruto said the Government was striving to discourage over dependency on maize as the only source of food.

Oshima and his team presented to the minister the enhanced Africa Rice Development plan. The initiative's overall strategy and framework for action is jointly proposed by the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa and Jica.