Farmers in Rift Valley have warned the government not open floodgates for maize importation due to anticipated shortages in the country.
The farmers said many of them had been barred from supplying maize to the National Cereals and Produce Board early this year because of stringent measures introduced by the board along with low prices.
The board bought maize from vetted farmers at Sh2,300 per 90kg bag but farmers wanted Sh3,200 for the same quantity.
In June, Agriculture CS Mwangi Kiunjuri said the country will be importing 12.5 million bags of maize.
Ten million bags white maize will be for human consumption while the other 2.5 million bags would be yellow maize.
The government said the importation window to close in October would help stabilise the maize prices in the country.
But Tiren now calls for consultations.
“We are asking the government to dialogue extensively on this matter and ensure it buys all maize in farmers' stores before allowing importation to saturate the market,” Moiben MP Sila Tiren said.
Tiren accused the state of setting low maize prices at the NCPB only to rush into spending heavily on maize importation.
“Our policies are skewed. It’s like the government values foreign producers instead of ensuring it protects our farmers so that they produce more locally,” Tiren said.
Farmers representatives Kipkorir Menjo and Ruth Kemboi said local farmers have in their stores more than six million bags harvested last year.
“The government should mop up the maize still held by farmers and then allow importation only to the extent of the shortages,” Tiren said.
The MP said unchecked importation will end up hurting the farmers.
Farmers also want the government to allocate more funding for key agriculture institutions including the NCPB and the Agricultural Finance Corporation.
Tiren and Menjo said a failure by the government to budget for the key institutions will further hurt the agriculture sector and cause a decline if food production.
Menjo said MPs should look at the recent budget tabled in parliament and re-allocate resources to the agriculture sector.
“We elected MPs and with this problem in the budgeting process, it's now their duty to ensure that key institutions get funding failure or they will collapse,” Menjo said.
Tiren and Menjo met with farmer’s representatives in Eldoret.
The farmers complained that no money had been allocated to the Agricultural Development Corporation which plays a vital role in livestock development and seed production.
“No money has also been allocated for fertilizer subsidies yet this year farmers have incurred heavy costs on buying the fertilizer from the open markers at exorbitant costs,” Tiren said.
(edited by O. Owino)
