President William Ruto has offered assurance to local farmers, expressing the government’s readiness to purchase their maize. Ruto has confirmed that the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) acquires a 90kg bag of maize for KSh 4,000. However, he encourages farmers to exercise their autonomy in determining the market price for their produce. According to Ruto, there is no obligation to sell to NCPB. He mentioned, “We buy a 90kg bag at KSh 4,000, but if you find a buyer at KSh 5,000, that’s perfectly fine. No one will force you,” during a church service at ACK Diocese of Eldoret on Sunday, October 29.
These statements from Ruto followed Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi’s declaration to the Senate Committee that the government’s purchase price for a 90kg bag of maize is KSh 4,000. Linturi emphasized the Kenya Kwanza administration’s commitment to ending food insecurity within the country.
Ruto reiterated the government’s plan to bolster food security by providing storage services to local farmers. He assured farmers, “If you want to store your maize securely, we have a storage capacity of up to 20 million bags, and you’ll only be charged KSh 10 per bag per month.”
Ruto also mentioned the reduction of drying fees for maize from KSh 300 to KSh 70 per bag as part of the government’s support to farmers. He further urged farmers to enhance maize production by increasing their fertilizer usage. Ruto pointed out, “We’ve raised maize production per acre to 12 bags this year through subsidized fertilizer. You should use 100 kg of fertilizer because our goal is to achieve 20 bags per acre next year.”
In August 2023, Ruto launched the second phase of the fertilizer subsidy program, lowering the price of one bag to KSh 2,500, down from KSh 3,500. He encouraged farmers to make use of the program to boost their yields and contribute to the government’s target of reaching 61 million bags by 2027.
