NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 18 – The National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) is targeting to buy 1 million bags of maize from farmers within three weeks amid a steep decline strategic food stocks in its reserves after 4 million bags were depleted in 2020.
The Board’s managing Director Joseph Kimote, while addressing journalists Thursday said the government had already bought 200,000 bags of maize and its stores are still open for farmers to continue supplying their produce.
“Prior to last year June, 2020, we had nearly 4 million bags, the maize was sold to millers in 2019 and early 2020,” Kimote said
“Our target was one million bags during this festive season, we have already bought 200,000 bags and our stores are still open if you go to Eldoret and Moi’s bridge, you will find a lot of trucks lining up to deliver maize, we are looking at a million bags in the next three weeks,” he added.
Kimote said NCPB is engaging the government to find resources to ensure the national food reserve gets funds to buy sufficient food stocks.
“Right now we do not have sufficient food stocks in reserves, we are engaging government to see how we will get resources for national food reserves to get bfunding to buy sufficient food stocks,” the NCPB MD noted.
The NCBP has created a food reserve division following the disbandment of the strategic food reserve board – the entity tasked with ensuring the country has sufficient food stocks.
According to Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya, the Reserve will be structured on commercial processes to avoid market distortions and opaqueness.
Farmers were initially divided over the plan to disband the strategic food reserve with a section of them vouching for its retention while arguing it tamed maize cartels who had rooted themselves within NCPB.
