- He said some farmers were already selling off their produce to middlemen at throw-away prices including as low as Sh3,000 per bag.
- The PS said the farmers should be patient and wait for the new prices and the opening of NCPB depots.
The government will announce maize prices this week and is urging farmers to stop disposing of their produce at throw-away prices.
Crop development PS Harsama Kello says the NCPB will immediately open all its depots to purchase maize from farmers.
Kello said they expect more than 44 million bags of maize out of which more than 23 million bags will be from high-producing counties in the North Rift region.
The PS along with the National Cereals and Produce Board officials are visiting the North Rift for a post-harvest pre-planning exercise to ensure all plans are in place ahead of mass harvesting by farners.
"Due to government interventions in the agricultural sector, we are now expecting very good harvests from our farmers and we are here to prepare for the harvests so that we do not lose anything', said the PS.
PS Kello said the government would shortly announce the maize prices and the amount of bags to be bought for the strategic grain reserves through the NCPB.
He said some farmers were already selling off their produce to middlemen at throw-away prices including as low as Sh3,000 per bag.
The PS said the farmers should be patient and wait for the new prices and the opening of NCPB depots.
He said other companies including Apex from the USA were buying maize at prices of more than Sh4,200 per bag.
"We will ensure that we purchase all maize from farmers and there is no need for the producers to dispose of the maize at cheaper prices," said the PS.
Kello maintained the government would continue to roll out more measures that would enhance food production while also ensuring farmers earn better from the sector.
The government had strengthened the NCPB after paying all debts owed to the board over the years, he said..
He said the government was in the process of purchasing 100 driers to boost the existing capacity by NCPB to help farmers dry their crop, especially during rainy seasons.
CEO of the NCPB Joseph Kimote said the board had the capacity to buy and store 20 million bags of 90Kg.
He said once the purchase starts the farmers would be handled on a first come first served basis.
He said the board would only buy maize with money available to avoid debts with farmers.