Nakuru farmers adopt electronic system to sell their produce

Mr Joseph Koinange makes daily trips to a private milk processor in Nakuru to demand his dues after delivering 5,000 litres of milk. The processor is not keen to pay him as it is facing financial challenges.

At Wakulima Market in Nakuru Town, Ms Jeniffer Akinyi, too, is in a dilemma after delivering fish to the market which is flooded with the commodity. She is forced to sell them at a throw-away price.

She is not alone. Mr Abraham Kibe, a potato farmer, is struggling to sell his 50 bags of potatoes.  Cartels at the market have formed a human shield. They are persuading him to sell to them.

After a heated argument, he sells the potatoes at a throw-away price before returning to Mau Narok to start another cycle of frustration.

This is what many smallholder farmers have been undergoing while trying to sell their produce.

 However, this will now be a thing of the past as the Nakuru County government, in collaboration with Warehouse Receipt System Council, are sensitising farmers to embrace the system for maximum benefits.

Electronic system

Already some of the farmers like Tuiyotich KCEP – a community-based organisation in Mauche Ward, Njoro Sub-County, have adopted the electronic system. They now use Electronic Receipt System

Mr Joseph Koech, the Chairman of the group delivered 5,000kg – grade 2 maize at National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) depot in Nakuru.

The maize was subjected to quality standards verification of moisture content, aflatoxin testing, grading and storage.

Mr Koech said farmers opted to store the maize in a certified warehouse for the safety and quality of their maize as they await prices to appreciate.

The Warehouse Receipt System (WRS) is a process where owners of commodities, who may be producers or dealers, deposit their merchandise in certified warehouses and are issued with a document of a title called a Warehouse Receipt as proof of ownership.

Warehouse Receipt System

Nakuru County Executive in charge of Agriculture Immaculate Njuthe Maina said by embracing the Warehouse Receipt System, farmers in the county will no longer have to worry about where to store their produce, especially cereals.

"This will eradicate post-harvest loss. The system will allow farmers to store their grains in selected warehouses where they will be given receipts showing the type and quantity received," said Dr Maina.

The receipt guarantees the farmer proper storage even when there is a glut so they don't have to sell at a loss. They can use the receipt to access loans.

The Warehouse Receipt System is expected to offer a range of solutions, especially to the smallholder farmers who face several challenges relating to lack of a transparent and structured market system. This often leads to exploitation by middlemen.

It will also create more jobs along the value chain with the youths and women being the main beneficiaries among other actors.

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