Posted on October, 13, 2023 at 08:55 am
One 90kg bag of maize from local farmers will cost Sh4,000, Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi announced yesterday.
The Cabinet approved Sh4 billion for the purchase of the staple food across many communities in Kenya, a move that will come as a relief to local farmers who recorded a bumper harvest this season.
The purchase also comes days after the Cabinet approved a memo by the Ministry to buy one million bags of maize from local farmers.
Linturi charged that the cereals will be purchased through the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) for the National Strategic Food Reserve (NSFR).
This even as he disclosed that the government had set aside some Sh2.2 billion for the purchase of dryers to assist farmers in reducing post-harvest losses by ensuring that their maize is properly dried and stored.
Appearing before the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries to furnish the Committee with measures being taken by the government to address issues in the agricultural sector, Linturi said that the government had already ordered mobile dryers.
“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,” said Linturi. However, farmers will be forced to part way with Sh70 per 90kg bag of maize to use the NCPB driers, which have a drying capacity of 40 tonnes daily.
Linturi also told the farmers that they are free to sell their produce to any buyer including the local millers, adding that the government has no intention to buy their maize.
He further said that even though the cost of producing maize is still high due to other factors like the cost of fuel, labour and fertilizer, adding that
“We have no intention to buy maize from the farmers. They are free to sell their produce to any buyer. The government will only advise the farmers to sell their maize to NCPB if the supply is more than the demand and the prices are lower than Sh4,000.”
Source: People Daily