Eldoret Agricultural Society of Kenya (ASK) National Show has been rescheduled because of the March 4 general elections.

The show which is usually held in March has now been brought back and will now be held on February 20 to 23 at the Eldoret showground.

President Kibaki who is the ASK patron has been invited to attend as one of his last functions before the polls. Branch Chairman of the ASK in Eldoret Rosina Wasoi confirmed the new dates and said preparations for the three day fete were in top gear.

The Eldoret ASK show is normally the first on the organization's calender and is normally used to sensitize farmers in the region.

"Preparations for the show are going on well and we hope to have one of our best events this years", said Wasoi. Meanwhile maize prices in parts of the North Rift region have gone up following shortages of the commodity since last week.

In Nandi county, farmers are selling maize at about Sh3,000 per bag which is an increase from Sh2,200 two weeks ago.

Chairman of the Millers Association Diamond Lalji had last week claimed that farmers were hoarding the commodity in a move to push the prices upwards.

The Kenya Farmers Association (KFA) denied the claim and instead blamed middlemen for buying the produce from farmers at cheap prices and storing it in order to control the prices.

Some of the farmers who had kept their maize at the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) under the Warehouse Receipting System (WRS) have opted to sell it to the board.