Cereals board rejects maize from farmers, saying silos are full
What you need to know:
This is despite the government recently saying that it was ready to buy maize to cover the shortage experienced last year.
The government was forced to import maize from Mexico following an acute shortage of the grain.
A spot check at the Eldoret NCPB depot showed that several trucks and tractors had lined up to deliver the produce.
Hundreds of maize farmers in the North Rift were turned away with their produce by the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB), with the agency saying its silos are full.
The farmers had lined up in their dozens waiting to deliver maize to the Eldoret NCPB depot but they were told to look for other buyers as the stores are full.
This is despite the government recently saying that it was ready to buy maize to cover the shortage experienced last year.
The government was forced to import maize from Mexico following an acute shortage of the grain.
STRATEGIC RESERVES
Last November, the government announced that it had allocated Sh7.1 billion to buy 2.4 million bags of maize this season to replenish its strategic grain reserve (SGR) stocks.
However, the board has scaled down purchases. The farmers yesterday protested against delays in purchasing of their maize by the board, noting that it was subjecting them to exploitation by middlemen, who were offering low prices.
The board was buying the produce at Sh3,200 per 90kg bag but delays have seen middlemen take advantage of the situation to offer as low as Sh2,000 per bag at farm-gate level.
“The government has been encouraging farmers to produce more grains but we don’t know why they don’t want to buy our maize,” said Christopher Kiptum, a farmer from Moiben.
CHEAP IMPORTS
The Cereals Growers Association (CGA) accused some influential people it claimed enjoy government protection of taking advantage of the anticipated maize shortage to import cheap produce to sell it to the board.
“Some of these cartels buy maize from Uganda for as low as Sh1,800 per 90kg bag and sell it to NCPB at Sh3,200,” said Mr Jackson Yego from Waitaluk, Trans Nzoia County, a member.
A spot check at the Eldoret NCPB depot showed that several trucks and tractors had lined up to deliver the produce.
According to the NCPB corporate affairs manager Titus Maiyo, the agency was working to decongest some of the depots. “We are working to create more space by taking the produce in the silos to other areas to enable us to buy maize from the farmers,” he said.
