The National Cereals and Produce Board has launched an agricultural commercial hub in Eldoret town to enable farmers access quality farm inputs and related agricultural services.
It’s the first of its kind as the board seeks to improve its services to farmers especially in the high producing counties within the North Rift region.
Farmers in the region led Kenya Farmers Association director Kipkorir Menjo welcomed the initiative saying it would enhance NCPB services.
The hub will be a centre of effective business activities and will operate as a one-stop shop where various products and services will be offered by the board.
Launch of the hub was presided over by NCPB board chairman Mutea Iringo.
The hub is aimed at addressing challenges faced by small scale farmers in accessing advice on farming, affordable inputs, markets and other services required for profitable agri-business ventures.
The hubs will also provide other services including registration and profiling of farmers.
“We have partnered with the private sector players by aligning our commercial activities to adopt the hub business model across our network in the country," NCPB CEO Joseph Kimote said.
He said the board was also in collaboration with county governments.
For success of the commercial strategy, Kimote said NCPB would avail office space and facilities to its partners at a low rent.
“With this incentive, their combined specialties in products and services will present farmers with great value for both money and product quality,” Kimote said.
The hub will stock various agricultural products including food items, farm inputs, farm implements, farm machinery and agrochemicals.
It will also provide advisory services, linkages to intermediaries, leasing out of farm machinery, storage services, fumigation, drying, weighing, cleaning, grading and soil testing.
Farmers will access all the services under one roof at the hub.
Iringo said the hub would also facilitate the production and collection of quality produce by improving compliance with product and services quality standards.
It would also provide easy access to markets for farmers together with opportunities to bargain for better prices.
In addition, the hub will enable farmers access a variety of cheaper farm inputs, implements and mechanisation services.
As part of the positive impacts of the hub, small-scale farmers will enjoy increased incomes and better yields.
Produce buyers on the other hand will benefit from product aggregation and reliable supply. Various players in the hub will each play roles of mutual benefit to each other.
To achieve success of the hub trading model, NCPB has partners who include fertilizer, seed, agrochemicals and storage bags and tarpaulins suppliers.
NCPB has piloted six business hubs with others already set up in Timbila (Taita Taveta) and Nakuru, while Bungoma, Meru and Nairobi silos are to be established.
-Edited by SKanyara
