CS Kagwe: NCPB to mop up 321,000 wheat bags from stranded farmers

Agriculture and Livestock CS Mutahi Kagwe speaking during a meeting on March 3, 2025/HANDOUT 

Agriculture and Livestock CS Mutahi Kagwe has directed all farmers and aggregators to deliver their wheat stock to the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) starting Tuesday morning.

CS Kagwe’s move has resolved the wheat crisis where farmers were stranded with 321,000 bags of wheat after harvest.

Kagwe announced that payments to farmers will take place within 30 days after delivery to the warehouses across the country, which will be done by NCPB.

In a memorandum of understanding to be signed today between the NCPB and the Millers, the wheat from the NCPB will be collected by the millers, and payments will be made within 14 to 21 days.

He warned those who would want to hijack the resolutions to address the crisis by delivering imported wheat to the NCPB that they would be arrested for sabotaging the process.

The CS expressed his intentions to reduce the importation of wheat by ensuring local farmers produce from the current 8 per cent to above 40 per cent of demand by the Millers.

Agriculture and Livestock CS Mutahi Kagwe chairs a meeting on March 3, 2025/ HANDOUT 

The move to have NCPB collect wheat from farmers also gives a database that will be used to issue subsidised fertilisers, which further reduce the cost of production, hence more profits.

The CS spoke after a meeting to address challenges faced by farmers at his office at the Kilimo house.

The meeting was attended by the Principal Secretary Paul Ronoh, NCPB managing director Samuel Karogo, Agriculture and Food Authority director general Bruno Linyiru and Agriculture Secretary Collins Marangu.

Others are the Agricultural Cereals Millers Association (CMA) led by its Chief Executive Officer Paloma Fernandez, vice chair Beju Shah and also the Cereal Growers Association (CGA) led by its CEO Anthony Kioko.

Agriculture and Livestock CS Mutahi Kagwe chairs a meeting on March 3, 2025/ HANDOUT