Kenya loses an equivalent of a whole short rains maize harvest, estimated at an average of five million 90kg bags annually. National maize post-harvest losses are estimated to be between 4.8 and eight million bags annually — 12 to 20 per cent of the total national average production of 40 million 90kg bags. Maize is the staple crop of the country, has an average production of 40 million bags against an estimated annual demand of 45–50 million bags. The estimated national consumption of maize in the country is 3.39 million bags per month or 40.7 million bags per year. This means if all the maize produced went to food use, the country would still need to import around one million bags to meet the maize demand for food.