Ruto’s new order on maize millions

Busia governor Sospeter Ojamong (left) Busia Sugar factory MD Ahmed Taib(right) with Deputy President William Ruto (center) during his tour at Busia Sugar Industry Busia County on Nov 3rd, 2018. Ruto was inspecting the newly completed Busia Sugar Factory which will be opened officially by Hon. Raila Odinga. [Benjamin Sakwa, Standard]

Quantity, price, payment and identity of deliverers top the list of farmers demands as the cereal board moves to implement Deputy President William Ruto’s order to release a purchase plan on current harvest.

Ruto also announced release of Sh2.1 billion to pay off farmers who delivered maize to the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) and had not been paid.

According to him, they will be paid this week and the government will pull all stops to avoid repeat of mistakes of the past where unscrupulous traders supplied the maize to NCBP deports.

“The State has issued firm instructions to the Ministry of Agriculture and Strategic Grain Reserve that only maize from Kenyan farmers will be accepted by NCPB,” DP Ruto said yesterday in Eldoret.

In the plan, farmers want NCBP to be clear on the quantity of the maize they will be buying, the price they will buy at, give identity of suppliers and concrete payment plans. They also want to be consulted before prices are fixed to avoid a situation where they are disadvantaged in the process.

“It is farmers who know the cost of producing the country’s staple food crop. It will be unfair if consumer prices are set without considering what they invest in the process of producing maize grains,” said Kipkorir Menjo, a director at Kenya Farmers Association.

Jackson Kwambai, a large scale farmer from Moiben in Uasin Gishu county said prices should be set based on the costs incurred in producing the grains. “Farmers should be offered producer prices of not less than Sh3,000 per 90kg bag,” Mr Kwambai said.

With the government yet to open the NCPB depots and set producer prices for the current season, low profit margins and delays in paying for supplies to the board continue to upset farmers who feel ‘neglected’ by the government.

Most affected are small scale farmers who entirely rely on the sector for their livelihoods. Maize farming contributes to over 70 per cent of employment in the region. The region is set for a bumper maize harvest in the season following adequate rains throughout the year. 

Prices of dry maize have already dropped to about Sh1,400 in certain parts of Uasin Gishu and Trans Nzoia.

“It is unfair for farmers to fail to pay their children’s school fees or meet medical costs due to delays by the State to pay them for their maize supplies through NCPB,” said David Langat, a businessman.

It is projected that farmers in the North Rift and western regions will harvest at least 40 million bags of maize before end of December. Last month, NCPB said farmers in the North Rift are still holding 500,000 bags of maize from the 2017 harvest.

Later in Kakamega, Ruto toured the Busia Sugar factory and directed Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri to release its milling license with immediate effect. 

“How can an investor put up a factory worth Sh5b then someone uses dirty tricks to frustrate the operations? That is unacceptable,” said Ruto.

[Stephen Rutto, Titus Too and Ignatius Odanga]

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