Cereals board to start buying maize Wednesday

The National Cereals and Produce Board is set to start buying maize following President Kenyatta’s order.

The President said the board would buy a 90kg bag for Sh2,500, up from Sh2,300 that the Cabinet had approved.

NCPB officials on Monday said stores would open from Wednesday after the Strategic Food Reserve Trust Fund (SFRTF) gave the green light to buy the maize.

Farmers in the North Rift have been queuing at NCPB depots to deliver their maize. Depots in Nakuru witnessed long queues Monday.

GUNNY BAGS

“Despite the directive, we were still waiting for authorisation by the SFRTF, which liaises with the Treasury to wire funds for the purchase of the produce,” NCPB Managing Director Albin Sang said.

The board was waiting for the SFRTF to issue approval to buy gunny bags and registers of vetted farmers, he added.

“Farmers who have not been cleared by the national and devolved governments might have to wait a little longer to deliver their maize,” he said.

He asked those queuing at the NCPB depots to leave.

“Suppliers must be vetted to weed out cartels who might have imported maize and are targeting NCPB,” Mr Sang said.

However, farmers in the North Rift yesterday issued a two-day ultimatum to the government to start buying their maize or face demonstrations.

“We are ready to pressure government departments to implement the directive by paralysing transport in towns,” Mr Jackson Kwambai from Moiben in Uasin Gishu County said.

Many farmers said they were unhappy with the government’s offer and that they would only sell their maize to the NCPB to avoid exploitation by brokers.

PRIVATE MILLERS

The government maintains that the new price was determined by market forces.

North and South Rift farmers told the Nation that they expected the government to pay between Sh3,200 and Sh3,600 for a 90kg bag of maize.

“The government should have considered buying the maize even at Sh3,200. Buying a bag at Sh2,500 is a big blow to farmers, who are recovering from past exploitation by cartels,” Mr James Kipkorir from Trans Nzoia County said.

A farmers' rights activist, Mr Kipkorir Menjo, said they were happy with what the government had offered “as it will reduce our financial burdens.

“We appreciate President Kenyatta’s directive though we expected more,” Mr Menjo said.

The farmers asked the board to repossess the stores it had leased to private millers so as to take in more maize.

The government has set aside some Sh5 billion to buy two million bags of maize.

BUMPER HARVEST

Mr Sang said most of the maize the NCPB is buying comes from Uasin Gishu, Trans Nzoia, Nandi, Kakamega, Migori, Elgeyo-Marakwet, Laikipia, Kericho and three other counties.

He said the SFRTF would determine the quantity of maize every county would deliver.

Farmers want the government to buy four million bags following a bumper harvest.

The harvest improved from 41 million bags to 46 million bags. Farmers and Agriculture ministry officials have attributed the huge harvest to good weather.

National Food Strategic Reserve Board chairman Noah Wekesa said the Treasury had already released funds to buy the maize.

Reported by Barnabas Bii, Onyango K’Onyango and Eric Matara