The National Cereals and Produce Board is carrying out a survey on the status of fresh maize in the country to prepare for the opening of its depots in the next few weeks. A team from the board is visiting farmers to educate them on the need to dry the produce and sell it to the board for proper storage.
NCPB spokesman Evans Wasike said they are waiting for a nod from the government to begin purchase of the maize in areas where farmers are already harvesting or preparing to harvest in a few weeks time. The team has visited Nyanza, parts of the South Rift and will soon go to the North Rift region for similar visits. "We plan to start the purchases early enough so that we can help to stabilise the prices of maize which are still high in some of the areas," said Wasike. He said the board is ready to open up its depots once the government provides funding.
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