Release maize now or compete with imports in four weeks, DP Gachagua tells farmers
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua (centre), Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi (partially hidden second left), Uasin Gishu Governor Jonathan Bii (left), and other guests are guided by Kenya Seed Company Managing Director Fred Oloibe second (right), during a tour of the firm's stand at the Agricultural Society of Kenya Eldoret National Show in Uasin Gishu County on March 3, 2023.
President William Ruto and his deputy Rigathi Gachagua have ordered farmers who are still hoarding maize to release them within the next month before the four million bags of duty-free maize arrive in the country.
The Head of State said farmers had been given enough time to sell their maize, but they have misused that widow and the government is now importing four million bags to bridge the deficit.
“We have given farmers enough time to sell their produce; your time is now up. In about three to four weeks, we will have imported about four million bags of maize and another two million bags of rice and beans to stabilise our food supply,” said he in Nakuru County yesterday.
DP Gachagua, who was speaking yesterday while opening the Eldoret Agricultural Society of Kenya (ASK) show, said many farmers are still holding their maize in anticipation that market prices will be better than what is already there, a factor he attributed to the current cost of unga.
“We requested you with a lot of respect to release your maize to the market so that we have enough maize in the country for the sake of lowering prices of unga. Many of you did so, but some of you are still hoarding maize, hence there is a serious maize shortage in the country,” he said.
Hoarding maize
“Therefore, the government has decided that we are going to import so that our people can get food. I implore you to kindly release the maize you are still hoarding before the arrival of duty-free maize because it will lower the prices in the market from the current one.
“From today (Friday), kindly release all the maize you have because prices are lucrative. Farmers in Uasin Gishu, Kitale, Kakamega, release the maize in your stores.”
A 90-kilo bag of maize has shot up to Sh6,000 on the back of a shortage and stiff competition between millers and other agencies, piling pressure on households. The price of the commodity had dropped to Sh5,000 a bag early this month after the state announced that imports would start coming in from February 6, forcing farmers to release additional stocks to the market.
Maize imports, which were expected early this month, have been delayed, allowing farmers and traders to hoard the grain in price speculation.
The state, in December, announced that it would allow the importation of 10 million bags of maize to curb the shortage that has seen the cost of flour remain high. The state will allow traders to import the commodity outside the regional market duty-free between February and August this year.
It says the import will cover the existing deficit and cut down on the cost of flour. Mr Gachagua asked security agencies to intensify the crackdown on fake seeds, saying it is the cause of low yield witnessed in recent years.
“We are asking Kenya Seed Company to continue with the awareness of certified seeds. Let our farmers use certified seeds because we have cons and fraudsters who are producing fake seeds and selling to our farmers, hence low yields,” said Mr Gachagua.
He also outlined the ongoing reforms in the milk and coffee sectors, which he said have been disadvantaged farmers for years. DP Gachagua also disclosed that the government has banned the importation of powdered milk to empower local farmers.
“We have reshuffled the entire dairy board; we have a new one. The former board had been captured by the previous administration. They were licensing only one person who was importing powdered milk and exploiting Kenyans.”
Coffee reforms
He also outlined the ongoing reforms in both the milk and coffee sectors which he said has been disadvantageous for farmers for years noting that clean-up goes on in various Parastatals.
DP Gachagua also disclosed that the government has banned the importation of powdered milk in a bid to empower local farmers.
“We have reshuffled the entire dairy board; we have a new one. The former board had been captured by the previous administration. They were only giving licence to only one person who was importing powdered milk and extorting Kenyans. We have banned the importation of powdered milk from foreign countries so that we consume the milk from our farmers,” he said.
According to DP Gachagua, the government is now availing 7.8 million 50-kilogram bags of subsidized fertilizer through the e-voucher system ahead of the long rains.
“We have a paltry 540,000 acres under irrigation- representing just 2 percent of the total land under farming. This is just 16 per cent of our irrigation potential of 3.3 million acres,”
“The government targets to bring an additional 500,000 acres under irrigation by the year 2026. This initiative will progressively save the country Sh87.5 billion worth of food imports and create 3 million jobs among other benefits,” he said.
DP Gachagua also disclosed that the Parliament had to nullify coffee regulations published by former Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya because it was being used by those he called ‘cartels’ to take advantage of farmers.
“Coffee regulations by Munya were aimed at extorting our farmers and we have set it aside. Very soon, we will come up with regulations which will be beneficial to farmers and get rid of brokers,” he said.
The National Assembly Delegated Legislation Committee, in a report adopted by the House on Thursday, annulled in its entirety the Crops (Coffee) (General) (Amendment) Regulations, 2022 that were meant to eliminate cartels in the sector.
The regulations published in June last year proposed amendments to various provisions of the principal regulations to provide for licenses, obligations of license holders and service providers, recognition and protection of coffee growers’ rights, and collection and maintenance of data related to coffee to ensure improvement of standards.
They also provide various forms to be used for applications in compliance with the set requirement.
However, the committee chaired by Ainabkoi MP Samuel Chepkonga in its report to the House noted that the ministry did not sufficiently conduct public participation with those that the regulations were going to affect.
