• CS Kiunjuri said the government needs to allow imports of 19 million bags to ease anticipated shortages pushing prices upwards.
• Farmers and politicians say the country has adequate stocks to last more than two month.
Image: MATHEWS NDANYI
Farmers and leaders from the North Rift have criticised Agriculture CS Mwangi Kiunjuri for insisting on the planned importation of more than 19 million bags of maize to ease looming shortages.
Farmers, through Kenya Farmers Association director Kipkorir Menjo, said CS Kiunjuri should not ignore their concerns because they are major sector players.
In support of Strategic Grains Reserve Fund chairman Noah Wekesa, they said many farmers will start harvesting in two months and there is no need for huge imports.
Wekesa had said the National Cereals and Produce Board and farmers have adequate stocks to last more than two months. He said imports should not be more than two million bags of maize.
“By the time we exhaust what we have, most farmers will already be harvesting. I don’t think there is a need to open the floodgates for imports in a manner that will hurt our farmers,” he said.
The farmers and their leaders urged President Uhuru Kenyatta to fire Kiunjuri if he continues misleading the government.
“The CS should listen to farmers and stop behaving as if he is working for the cartels interested in importing maize to make money and ruin the cereals market for the farmers,” Moiben MP Sila Tiren said.
Many farmers had been stopped from delivering maize to the NCPBtional Cereals and Produce Board early this year.
“The government only bought less than 400,000 bags of maize from farmers because of the low prices offered at the NCPB and stringent vetting conditions. Most farmers still have a lot of maize in their stores,” Tiren said.
He appealed to the government to use the money earmarked for imports to buy the stocks held by farmers before it can consider importing more to cover the shortfall.
A similar position was taken by North Rift governors led by Jackson Mandago (Uasin Gishu) and Stephen Sang (Nandi). They warned against excessive importation.
Mandago said the taskforce appointed by President Kenyatta to probe the maize crisis had handed in its report and suggested that its recommendations be implemented to break the cycle of problems bedevelling the sector.
“We must take care of the interests of farmers first before making decisions on key matters like importation,” he said.
Bungoma Senator Moses Wetangula, Saboti MP Caleb Hamisi and Tongaren MP Dr Eseli Simiyu also weighed in the issue, cautioning that imports would hurt farmers and must be rejected.
This week, farmers’ representatives and elected leaders from the region will meet in Eldoret to discuss the maize sector problems and provide the way forward on the importation row.
(Edited by F'Orieny)