Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi says the projection for maize harvest this year has increased to more than 60 million bags.
The government had earlier estimated the harvests at about 44 milion bags, but the CS says the distribution of subsidised fertiliser to farmers had paid off in a big way.
Linturi said the government is now working to ensure adequate and efficient supplies to farmers for the next planting season.
"As government, we are doing all that is necessary to ensure that farmers get the support they need to produce more and make Kenya self sufficient in food production," Linturi.
He was speaking at the National Cereals Produce Board depot in Eldoret, where he flagged off distribution of maize dryers to counties in the region.
Linturi said the government had procured 100 dryers to be distributed for use by farmers in all parts of the country.
Farmers will pay Sh70 per bag for the drying services.
"Now that we have bumper harvests the dryers will be used to ensure we reduce post harvest loses all regions," the CS said.
Linturi said President William Ruto had given firm instructions to the ministry to ensure farmers are supported by all means to increase production.
He said the NCPB had adequate money to buy maize from farmers at Sh4,000 per 90kg bag.
The CS added that the boarded offer was only aimed at stabilising the maize prices so that farmers are not exploited by middlemen.
"We now have many private players buying maize and farmers are free to sell their produce to any place where they get better prices," Linturi said.
He said farmers also had many options, including to store maize at the NCPB through the Warehouse Receipting System, as they wait for better prices.
The CS rejected calls by farmers to increase the maize prices, saying it was unwise for the state to subsidise consumption.
"We will subsidise production so that farmers can produce more, unlike in the past when government focused subsidising consumption," Linturi said, adding that so far more than 6.3 million farmers had been registered by the government and more were being enlisted.
He was with Uasin Gishu Governor Jonathan Bii and NCPB boss Joseph Kimote.
The CS said the government had also given adequate funding to the Agricultural Finance Corporation to lend farmers who wish to access credit.
"The credit from AFC is agricultural finance and not other projects like building houses," Linturi said.
