Farmers who enrolled with the government during the planting season are set to benefit from the Ksh4,000 per bag incentive offered by the State for their maize produce.
This disclosure was made by Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi during his appearance before a Senate committee this week.
This move effectively excludes millions of unregistered farmers from accessing the government’s lucrative pricing scheme, leaving them vulnerable to the influence of agricultural cartels.
“We will be procuring one million bags of maize from farmers registered in our database. Our registered farmers are our top priority, and we will be buying from those who received subsidized fertiliser to produce maize,” stated Mr. Linturi.
In addition, Mr Linturi informed the Senate committee that the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) has commenced preparations to receive maize from local farmers as the harvesting season gets underway in the North Rift region.
During his testimony to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Mr Linturi underscored the significance of this pricing arrangement.
He asserted, “This pricing structure ensures that farmers can recover their production costs and secure reasonable profits from their maize harvests.”
Furthermore, he stressed that the restriction on maize imports will remain in place until local maize stocks are adequately utilized by millers.
This strategy aims to safeguard the interests of local farmers and replenish the strategic food reserve effectively.
It’s worth noting that this development follows the government’s recent announcement of a ban on maize and wheat imports into the country.
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