State to buy one million bags of maize from farmers
Sacks of dry maize outside Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret town, Uasin Gishu County on January 23, 2023. Farmers are selling a 90 kilograms of the produce at between Sh4,600 and Sh4,800.
What you need to know:
- Only registered farmers will benefit from the plan which will start from second week of November.
- CS Linturi says the government will buy a 90kg bag of maize at Sh4,000.
The government will buy one million bags of maize from farmers starting next month, Agriculture and Livestock Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi has said.
The CS said the maize will be purchased through the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) for the National Strategic Food Reserve.
Appearing before the Senate Agriculture committee on Thursday, October 12, Mr Linturi said only registered farmers will benefit from the plan which will start from the second week of November.
He said the government will buy a 90kg bag of maize at Sh4,000. “The NCPB stores are ready and we will be buying the maize from only registered farmers from the second week of November,” said Mr Linturi.
“My ministry is committed to making the country food secure through improved food production and better earnings for all farmers,” he added.
The announcement comes just days after President William Ruto banned importation of maize and wheat into the country to protect local farmers.
Mr Linturi said the exercise had been delayed because of lack of enough government dryers.
He said the government has now bought 100 dryers at a cost of Sh2.2 million which will be arriving in the country next month.
The CS told the committee chaired by Kirinyaga Senator James Murango that the mobile dryers will assist farmers in drying their grains before purchase by the government as well as reducing post-harvest losses.
He said farmers will be charged Sh70 per 90kg bag to use the dryers compared to the Sh400 per bag they were previously being charged. “The mobile dryers will enable farmers to preserve the quality of their maize and increase their income. This is a significant development, as post-harvest losses have been a major challenge for farmers in the past,” he said.
Also Read: State slashes tax on imported rice
Last week, President Ruto said no permits will be issued to millers to import wheat or maize into the country in a move aimed at protecting local farmers.
He said the government will only deviate from the directive if the local produce is insufficient, with his administration set to allocate Sh4 billion to buy maize from farmers.
“We ask our farmers not to sell their produce at throwaway prices. Even if farmers don’t want to sell their maize to NCPB, they will have an opportunity to dry their produce at the State agency and store it,” said the President.
Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei questioned Mr Linturi on why the government is buying maize at Sh4,000 per 90kg bag and not at more than Sh5,500.
He also asked why the government would only buy one million bags and not 4.5 million bags to cater for households in need of the staple food crop.
Mr Linturi said the price is fair as farmers are already benefiting from subsidised fertiliser.
“Our intention as government is not to buy maize from farmers but to facilitate a market for them if they don’t get any. They have not been forced to take their maize to the NCPB stores. If there is a better buyer, then they can sell to them,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Linturi said his ministry is addressing the challenges in the macadamia nut production and marketing.
“We are exploring international markets in a bid to ensure our farmers benefit from the macadamia sub-sector,” he said.
