Traders seek to cash in on maize from Uganda

National Cereals and Produce Board Managing Director Newton Terer during the board's Restructuring Stakeholders Workshop at Horizon Hotel in Eldoret town on June 11, 2014. Middlemen are stocking large quantities of cheap maize from Uganda, hoping to make a killing by selling it to the national cereals board. PHOTO | JARED NYATAYA |  NATION MEDIA GROUP

In Summary

• The traders are expecting the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) to start purchasing maize from farmers soon, after it delayed doing so.
• Majority Leader Alfred Weswa asked the county assembly to compel the Executive to seek funds to buy the produce from the farmers at more than Sh2,500 per 90-kilogramme bag.

By PHILIP BWAYO
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Middlemen are stocking large quantities of cheap maize from Uganda, hoping to make a killing by selling it to the national cereals board.

The produce is finding its way into the country through the Busia, Malaba and Suam border points.

The traders are expecting the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) to start purchasing maize from farmers soon, after it delayed doing so.

Leaders in Trans-Nzoia have blamed the influx of the grain on the East African Community free trade protocol, which they said is unfair to Kenya since the cost of producing maize in the neighbouring country is lower.

“We can’t continue suffering under the pretext of the East African protocol, when the Kenyan farmer is being disadvantaged owing to the high cost of producing maize in the country,” said Saboti MP David Wafula.

Mr Wafula asked the government to start profiling Kenyan farmers to avoid a situation where most middlemen sell their produce to the NCPB under the pretext that they are genuine growers.

“We don’t want to continue offering a good market to middlemen, who don’t even know the price of maize seed.”

DELAY IN BUYING MAIZE
He spoke in Kitale during a funds drive for Matisi youths.

Governor Patrick Khaemba complained about NCPB’s delay in buying maize, saying it was hurting farmers in the region, who have fallen prey to middlemen. The middlemen offer lower prices.

Majority Leader Alfred Weswa asked the county assembly to compel the Executive to seek funds to buy the produce from the farmers at more than Sh2,500 per 90-kilogramme bag.

The county realised a yield of 5.4 million bags of maize against last year’s 4.7 million bags.