Rift farmers plead with State to increase maize and wheat prices

Maize and wheat farmers in the Rift Valley have appealed to the newly-appointed Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Willy Bett to intervene and improve the prices of their produce.

The farmers, under Ng’ombe and Mahindi, a lobby group that advocates for the plight of small-scale cereal farmers in the region, said the CS is capable of solving the maize prices’ crisis as he understands farming better.

Led by their chairman Philip Barno, they said most farmers were demoralised over failure by the Government to increase maize prices from the current Sh2,300 per 90kg to Sh3,000.

Speaking during a farmers’ stakeholders meeting in Eldoret town at the weekend, Chemno said small-scale cereal farmers were suffering due to lack of political goodwill. “We have suffered enough but with a new boss in the sector, we have confidence that maize and wheat prices, which have been a headache for decades, will come to end,” Chemno said. He said all the promises made to farmers by President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy during their tour of North Rift region recently with regard to increased funding to National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) and expansion of its depots has not borne fruit.

 Drier machines

“The President and his deputy had a good mission for farmers because their plan was to have the purchasing of maize as a continuous process, new maize prices and the cost of drying maize reduced, but things still remain the same,” he added

Paul Marus from Moiben village also said farmers had been assured that once the drier machines, which were purchased by Uasin Gishu county government, get stationed at various trading centres, they would not be charged. However, Marus said they were still being charged.

“We thought that drying machines would save us but surprisingly, what they are charging per bag is too much for small-scale farmers. We can’t afford to pay that much and that’s why we have opted to dry our maize along the tarmac roads,” said Maru.

“Let  the Government reconsider our plight on issues concerning maize and wheat prices. I personally have more than 5,000 bags of both maize and wheat but I can’t sell them at a throw away price. This is despite the fact that I have a bank loan to clear,” Marus added

But NCPB maintained it would buy the crop at Sh2,300 per 90kg bag, the same amount it offered last season. NCPB Managing Director Newton Terer said during an  interview that the board targets to purchase one million bags of maize at Sh 2,300 per 90kg. The board has already bought 29,675 bags of maize to the tune of Sh68 million in North Rift.