The National Cereals and Produce Board will buy four million bags of maize this year, according to Strategic Food Reserve Board chairman Noah Wekesa.
Wekesa said farmers expect to harvest 33 million bags of the cereal. They will sell most of it through in the open market.
“We have budgeted to buy only four million bags and let farmers sell the rest through their own usual ways,” he told farmers and NCPB officials in Eldoret on Wednesday.
He said the government price will be announced after consultations with farmers, millers and other stakeholders.
“We have already started consultations with farmers and millers to help the government determine the price at which we will purchase the maize,” Wekesa said, adding that the cost of production and consumers' interests would be factored in.
Last year the NCPB bought the cereal at Sh2,300 per 90kg bag. Most farmers refused to sell to the parastatal, citing the poor price. They took nothing short of Sh3,500 per 90kg bag.
Wekesa said, “We cannot act like in the past where we made mistakes by dictating the price of maize without involving the input of farmers and other stakeholders.”
Yesterday, the farmers said they would accept Sh3,600 per 90kg bag.
Kenya Farmers Association board member Kipkorir Menjo said low prices had been the main problem affecting maize production in the country.
“Farmers' earnings have been diminishing due to low prices from the government through the NCPB and the middlemen,” Menjo said.
Farmer Kimutai Kolum welcomed the decision to involve the growers in setting the price.
Farmers have already harvested their produce for this year in most parts of the region. The price has dropped to Sh2,700 in the open market from about Sh3,000 a month ago.
Two weeks ago CAS for agriculture Andrew Tuimur said maize production would drop from 43 million bags last year to 33 million bags this year due mainly to bad weather.
