Posted on February, 25, 2019 at 09:39 am
By MATHEWS NDANYI
The NCPB will this week begin paying farmers who have delivered maize to the board in the last one month
CEO Albin Sang says they have so far bought more than 100,000 bags of maize from farmers mostly in the Rift Valley region.
“We have been promised that the board will start paying this week and as farmers we are anxious so that we do have delays that have been causing unnecessary suffering for us”, said Director of the Kenya Farmers Association Kipkorir Menjo.
Legislators from the Rift Valley region led by Senator Margaret Kamar say they will push to have NCPB devolved with a better funding strategy to benefit farmers.
Kamar chaired the Senate Committee on the maize crisis and she says their report recommends that agriculture be fully fully devolved with institutions like the NCPN place under the counties.
“Financing of the NCPB has been a major problem and that is why they face problems in buying cereals and helping farmers. We want the board and the stores given counties to manage”, said Kamar who spoke in Eldoret yesterday.
She says they have suggested establishment of a revolving fund to help finance NCPB activities.
Spokesman of the NCPB Titus Maiyo says the maize has been bought at the Eldoret among other areas though strict vetting processes had slowed down the purchase.
Maiyo admits that the vetting is cumbersome and slow but says the NCPB is not to blame for the strict vetting conditions
“The board’s work is only to take in maize. The condition were introduced by the government following what we have experienced in the past”, said Maiyo. He however said the purchase was going on well.
Kamar said the vetting of farmers at the NCPB had been frustrating and unnecessary.
She says the farmers have been vetted so many times and stringent conditions introduced by the NCPB had demoralized farmers.
The senator says many farmers are giving up on maize production because of lack of markets and frustrations like repeated vetting every year.
But Moiben MP Sila Tiren says corruption was to blame for all the problems farmers were going through.
“We must be ready to tell the truth as leaders because all these issues to do with maize purchase and even subsidized fertilizer are as a result of corruption which we have to tackle”, said Tiren.
Strategic Food Reserves Fund chairman Noah Wekesa says the government has provided sh 5 Billion to buy the 2 million bags from farmers mostly in the North Rift region.
More than 1,000 lorries and tractor re lining up with maize at NCPB depots to deliver maize
Source: The Star