The state has settled over 75 per cent of its debts to the National Cereals and Produce Board.
Agriculture PS Hamadi Boga said the government has taken care of the larger part of the Sh18 billion debt owed to the board.
Speaking during the NCPB ISO certification launch at a Nairobi hotel on Thursday, the PS said most of the debt pertains to maize.
“The other one that pertains to fertiliser is in the process of being discussed with the National Treasury so that they can allocate resources for that.
"NCPB is in a better place than we found it, the sector is also in a better place and we are determined to complete the reform processes,” he said.
Boga said NCPB is now a commercial entry and since most of the debt has been cleared, they are free to trade with what they have.
“They already have about Sh2 billion which they are free to decide on what to do with the money,” he said.
Joseph Kimote, NCPB managing director said by last year, government agencies including the defunct Strategic Food Reserve Fund, owed NCPB close to Sh18 billion.
The debt had been incurred over years for grain handling services and other amenities.
Kimote said the board currently has approximately 712,000 bags of maize in the conventional stores and in silos across the country.
“This maize is clean, free from aflatoxin and is available for sale to any miller. I invite anyone who wants to buy quality maize to go to any cereal board stores across the country,” he said.
NCPB launched the transition to the ISO 9001:2015 standard which Kimote explained is a culmination of teamwork and relentless effort by the Board to improve processes and services.
He said NCPB decided to implement and maintain a quality management system to help the cereals board be more efficient so as to provide more value to stakeholders and all interested parties.
“Certification of quality management system will assist the institution in achieving their objectives,” Kenya Bureau of Standards managing director Bernard Njiraini said.
The goals are in terms of performance improvement, efficiency and customer satisfaction.
He said as a national standard body, the top most priority is to ensure that they set systems or help organisations set systems that ensure food security and food safety.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)
