Rift farmers fear planting may stall for lack of cash

Farmers in North Rift fear they may not plant on time after the Government failed to pay them for maize delivered to the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB).

They were hoping to use the money to buy inputs ahead of the next planting season which starts this month.

Those The Standard spoke to said they had no other source of money.

They said they never bothered to look for money elsewhere after the Government assured them they would be paid on time.

The farmers are a frustrated lot, not knowing what will become of their farms if they don’t get money for planting, with the long rains around the corner.

Farmers accused NCPB of introducing new demands that are costly and time consuming.

For instance, the board is now demanding they repackage maize in 50kg sacks instead of the 90kg one.

“Farmers have been delivering maize packed in 90kg bags to NCPB silos and there has been no problem. Repackaging will cost farmers more and is also a waste of time,” said a farmer, Kimutai Kolum.

He said the board supplied farmers with gunny sacks and asked them to repackage the produce before delivering it to its silos.

“Other than packaging the maize afresh, farmers are also required to sort out the grain, removing all the spoilt ones. We have already wasted time queuing at NCPB offices to deliver maize. This process is expensive as it means double transport costs and double labour costs,” said Kolum.

He said some farmers were still waiting to be paid for maize delivered to NCPB stores in January 2015. “We may never attain food security if this trend does not change. Pay farmers on time and we will have food to spare.”

Kolum added: “Other than buying inputs, we also need money for general preparations of fields. We expect the rains to start this March to signal onset of the new planting season, yet most farmers are not ready because NCPB has not paid them. Most large scale farmers are still holding on their maize stocks due to frustrations by the government.”

Christopher Kiptum said lorries delivering his harvest were still in the queue, adding he did not know when he would be paid.

“I expect to sell about 4,000 bags to the NCPB. Part of my produce is currently in the queue,” said Kiptum.

He does not know how he will access subsidised fertiliser from NCPB, which is retailing at Sh1,800 per packet, if the board does not pay them.

A source at the NCPB regional depot in Eldoret said the process of receiving maize had slowed down after they ran out of gunny bags.

“We have been repackaging the produce in 50kg bags upon receiving it from farmers,” said the official who did not wish to be named.

In Nakuru, farmers accused NCPB officials of corruption.

Over 500 farmers yesterday claimed NCPB has been taking in maize from other counties as they are kept waiting.

The farmers held protests at the board’s offices demanding an explanation why some farmers were allowed to offload their produce without following procedures.

“The Government had asked farmers to deliver maize to NCPB but the frustrations farmers are going through are too much,” said John Njoroge, a farmer from Bahati.

Another farmer James King’ori from Njoro, said he had been camping outside NCPB for the past one week to guard his produce.

Vehicle delivering

“I have been forced to camp here because the procedure, which includes registration of vehicles delivering the produce, is taking long,” said King’ori.

The farmers are also demanding over Sh500 million for maize delivered to NCPB over the past three months.

Samuel Mbatiah, also from Bahati, said farmers are yet to be paid for over 500,000 bags of maize delivered to NCPB.

NCPB acting silo manager Alfred Korir said they owed farmers Sh300 million. “The debt was initially Sh800 million,” he said.

Mr Korir attributed the delay to failure by the Government to release funds.

“I’m not able to address the issue of corruption but what I know is that farmers have not been paid.”