Middlemen invade Bungoma County to purchase maize at a low price

Bungoma

Thursday, August 3, 2023

KNA by Roseland Lumwamu

Bungoma Agricultural Producers Association (BAPA), a farmer’s led organization in the Western region is asking the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCBP) to open its stores and allow direct purchase of maize being harvested by farmers instead of them selling the maize produce to middlemen who have invaded the region.

A KNA spot check at Bungoma, Mayanja, Chwele, Kimilili and Kamukuywa, markets found out that individual farmers desperate for cash are selling a 2kg tin for between Sh 80 and Sh 100 with farmers decrying low prices being offered by buyers.

The farmers are now calling on the government through the Ministry of Agriculture to collaborate with the NCPB to allow for direct purchase.

Speaking to the press at NCPB on Thursday, Prof. Adrian Mukhebi, Interim Chairman, and Bungoma Agricultural Producers Association said that the middlemen have descended upon the farmers paying low prices for the crop.

Mukhebi, however, assured farmers of the opening of NCPB stores to enable the farmers to deliver their maize for purchasing at a good price by the board.

“We took advantage of the government’s subsidized fertilizer and we have had a bumper harvest but the middlemen have taken advantage of our desperate farmers, who are now disposing the crop at throw away price of as low as Sh 100 per 2 kg tin,” he said.

Dr. Mukhebi acknowledged the government for announcing the establishment of the Warehouse Receipt System (WRS).

Mukhebi stated that the system is aimed at assisting farmers store the harvest at NCPB silos until the prices improve.

He said that the farmers will be able to get financing to solve the cash problems as they wait for the market prices to improve. He urged farmers to stop selling maize to middlemen.

He pointed out that more stable and secure markets for farmers will play a pivotal role in supporting rural development and mitigating the distress faced by farming communities.

“We as farmers from this region are ready to collaborate with both levels of government to create an agricultural landscape where farmers are respected, protected and fairly compensated for their contribution to national food security,” he said.

Mukhebi also revealed that the local farmers have in the past years not taken advantage of the NCBP storage facilities saying that it is high time the region's farmers store their maize until prices improve.

“Most of the farmers who store maize at Bungoma NCBP stores come from neighbouring counties,” Mukhebi added.

Bungoma NCPB Silo manager Samuel Waitara, told KNA that the region has received a bumper harvest attributing it to the government’s subsidy fertilizer programme.

He added that currently, farmers are taking fertilizer from the NCPB in preparation of the second season planting.

Leo Otieno, a farmer in Bungoma, said that the government had boosted them by reducing the prices of fertilizer and they believed that farmers were going to benefit.

He appealed to farmers to get the subsidized fertilizers and boost their production.

Courtesy ; K. N. A