Anger boils over pay delays as farmers turn maize into animal feed

Braving a rare presidential ire, Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri was last night offering a personal bond for payments owed to hundreds of farmers by the cereals board.

In an interview with Sunday Standard, Kiunjuri said he will personally ensure all farmers are paid for their hard earned produce.

“We have embarked on payment. We will pay to the last man and ensure that our farmers can go back to feed the nation,” he said.

Maize farmers in the North Rift will from tomorrow begin receiving Sh1.4 billion in payments after the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) completed verifying deserving beneficiaries.

Last week, a list of 900 farmers had been cleared for payment from the 1,154 farmers who were asked to fill up the verification forms. Some 1,140 farmers returned the forms successfully.

During the verification, 226 farmers were recommended for investigation by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) with a possibility of prosecution if it emerges that they made claims fraudulently.

The government has released Sh978 million to pay farmers for maize delivered to NCPB in the 2017/18 season.

Kiunjuri said hundreds of farmers were paid yesterday to add onto the batch of 227 who received Sh200 million on Friday.

Better option

The cash is for the produce supplied to the NCPB nine months ago.

But even with Kiunjuri’s assurance that all those who delivered their harvests to NCPB will be paid, the number of maize farmers turning their produce into livestock feeds is rising by the day.

At Kaptuli in Uasin Gishu County, Daniel Kipkokelda, a silage harvester is mowing down a vast maize plantation accompanied by trucks.

The maize, sitting on a 200-acre piece of land, was due for harvesting in a month’s time.

Mr Kipkokelda says he decided to convert his crop into the silage owing to frustration experienced by cereal farmers in getting paid for produce delivered to NCPB and low maize prices.

 “I am still holding more than 200 bags of last year’s harvest in store and there was no way I could harvest and sell my maize to NCPB before I receive money for deliveries made 10 months ago,” said the dejected farmer.

He said the maize sector is mired in a cocktail of challenges including poor prices, access to cheap farm inputs and delayed payments.

“There are too many challenges facing maize farming and farmers are tired. Grains retail at as low as Sh1,200 per 90kg bag. When I sell the maize in form of silage, I might break even,” he stated.

With a 90kg bag of maize selling at Sh1,000 on average currently, Kipkokelda says the price will drop further by December. He is eyeing dairy farmers from Central and Western Kenya.

In neighbouring Elgeyo Marakwet County, Sammy Kiplagat has mowed his 50-acre maize farm and converted it into silage for his cows. He will sell the surplus.

Suffering lot

“Maize is no longer a profitable venture as it used to be. Cartels and mismanagement in NCPB have led us to this quagmire,” he said.

Experts are now warning that converting green maize into silage will dent thecountry’s food security and give room for more cartels to thrive in cheap maize imports.

Development Studies Lecturer at University of Eldoret Isaac Keror said what farmers are doing poses a serious challenge on the country’s food security.

“Indeed farmers are turning their maize into silage while others have reduced the acreage under the cereal and opted for other crops. The government should not take the issue lightly because the effects will not be felt this year but in subsequent years,” said Mr Keror.