The National Cereals and Produce Board is set to establish an agribusiness centre in Taita Taveta to ease farm inputs access.
NCPB managing director Joseph Kimote said on Monday the agro-input and agricultural products business centre will be established at Timbila depot in Taveta.
He said the memorandum of understanding they signed with Taita Taveta county seeks to facilitate easy access to affordable agro-input by farmers and provide a ready market for their agricultural produce.
“The business centre to be established under this MoU is aligned to the agriculture hub model that the NCPB is required to operate under the reforms," he said.
The hub will also be a one-stop shop for farmers to access financial services, extension services, post-harvest management solutions and link them to the market.
“This partnership is in the spirit of the Constitution of Kenya which devolved agriculture to the counties, and supports the achievement of the food and nutrition security pillar of the Big Four agenda,” Kimote said.
Under the agreement, the board will provide pesticides, certified seeds, fertilisers and fumigation services.
“In addition, the board will provide a market outlet for farmers through the purchase of agricultural produce such as paddy, green grams and beans from farmers in the area. Both parties will invest jointly in agricultural innovation and value addition programmes.”
Liverson Mghendi, Taita Taveta county secretary, said the county intends to leverage on NCPB’s expertise and experience in grain post-harvest management.
Mghendi said farmers can store their grains at the NCPB stores as they wait for prices to appreciate, then sell later with the introduction of Warehouse Receipt System in the country.
“Our farmers get bumper harvests from time to time, but they lack storage facilities, and so they are forced to sell their grain at throwaway prices. But by working with the NCPB, farmers will not have to rush to sell,” he said.
He said the partnership would help the county reduce grain post-harvest losses and boost food security.
Edited by A.N
