The government is set to start buying maize from farmers within the next two weeks.
The National Assembly Committee on Agriculture has said the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) will buy a 90kg bag at Sh2,500.
While making the announcement, Silas Tiren, the Parliamentary committee chairman and MP for Moiben in Uasin Gishu County urged farmers to be patient and not be misled into disposing of their produce at lower prices.
Although he did not specify the quantities to be bought and the amount of allocation for the purchase, Tiren added: “We have had discussions with the Ministry of Agriculture and on Thursday, the Attorney General okayed allocation of funds to the cereals board.”
Speaking during the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) popularisation meeting in Elgeyo Marakwet over the weekend, Tiren told farmers who have already harvested their produce to wait until the cereals board opens its stores for purchases.
About two months after NCPB announced its readiness to receive maize for drying and storage, farmers are yet to make any deliveries to respective stores. A section of farmers who spoke to The Standard said they want prompt payment before making any deliveries.
Even after top government officials led by NCPB Managing Director Joseph Kimote, Warehouse Receipting System (WRS) Council chairperson Jane Ngige and CEO Samuel Ogola held a sensitisation forum at the board’s grain stores in Eldoret recently, most stores in the region remain empty.
Some farmers are reportedly selling produce from farm gate to traders in the informal market while others are selling to millers who offer prices ranging between Sh2,200 and Sh2,400 per 90kg bag.
WRS is a system where a farmer can deposit their produce in a certified warehouse and is issued a document indicating deposit costs. This receipt can be used to acquire farm inputs and meeting other needs. The document can also be used to secure loans from lending institutions.
“We are not sure if the plan by NCPB will work out since the government has not allocated any funds for maize purchase yet. The baseline price of at least Sh2,500 per 90kg bag is also low considering transport and drying among other costs,” Kimutai Kolum, a farmer in Soy, Uasin Gishu County, said.
Kolum also said he was optimistic prices in the informal market will improve going by current trends.
“The WRS might not work for many of us. Farmers want cash to enable them to prepare for the next planting season and also meet their financial obligations, including paying school fees when schools reopen in January,” Jackson Kwambai, another farmer in Uasin Gishu said.
“WRS may be good for large scale farmers but not for small scale producers who are the majority,” said Kwambai.
