Peter Ng'etich
22 October 2008
Nairobi — The National Cereals and Produce Board on Wednesday opened its western Kenya depots to start receiving maize harvests.Farmers will be paid Sh1,700 for per 90kg bag .
The board intends to buy eight million bags of the crop out of which it will store six million bags as strategic grain reserves. The rest would be used to alleviate hunger.
Quality
Board spokesman Kipserem Maritim, said in a statement, that farmers in North Rift and those in maize-growing areas in Western Province would be paid cash on delivery for their maize.
"Our depots are open and ready to take your harvest and we would like to assure farmers that they will receive payments promptly since all arrangements are ready," he said in the faxed statement.
Mr Maritim said conditions for buying the grain remained the same as in previous years.
"The board would like to remind farmers to deliver grain that meets the standard quality parameters otherwise NCPB has drying, storage and pest control services at affordable rates in our depots," he said.
Despite the cereals board's announcement, scores of middlemen are in the region to buy the grain from farmers. Last week, Agriculture minister William Ruto banned maize exports.
The minister said in his Kilimo House office that the ban on maize exports was gazetted on October 3. "No person shall export any quantity of maize, with effect from the date of publication of these regulations until such a time when these regulations shall be amended or revoked.
Contrary
"Traders who engage in anything to the contrary will face full force of the law. "The ban is to ensure the country does not lose harvests to regions and other markets," Mr Ruto said.
The minister said the ban that will ensure maize that is harvested is used within the country.
The country, he said, expects to harvest 31 million bags of the grain this year, compared to annual consumption of 32 million bags. The deficit will be imported by April.
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