Ruto confirmed that the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) buys a 90kg bag of maize for KSh 4,000. How much is a 90kg bag of maize? The head of state, however, advised farmers to sell their maize at a market price of their choice. “It is not a must that you sell your maize to NCPB. We buy a 90kg bag at KSh 4,000, but if you get where you can sell at KSh 5,000, there is no problem. No one will force,” said Ruto during a church service at ACK Diocese of Eldoret on Sunday, October 29. Ruto’s sentiments came after Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi told the Senate Committee that the government would buy a 90kg bag of maize at KSh 4,000. Linturi maintained that the Kenya Kwanza administration is committed to ending food insecurity in the country. Maize storage facility The president reiterated the government’s plan to enhance food security, promising storage services for local farmers. “If you want to store your maize safely, we have a storage capacity of up to 20 million bags. You will only pay KSh 10 per bag in a month,” urged Ruto. Ruto maintained that the government had reduced fees for drying maize from KSh 300 to KSh 70 per bag. Ruto’s fertiliser subsidy He urged farmers to double their maize production by increasing their fertiliser per season. “We have increased maize production per acre to 12 bags this year due to subsidised fertiliser. You should use 100 kg of fertiliser because we want to increase production to 20 bags per acre next year,” he advised. In August 2023, Ruto launched the second leg of the fertiliser subsidy programme, reducing the price of one bag to KSh 2,500, down from KSh 3,500. Ruto urged farmers to use the programme to increase their yields and help the government attain its target of 61 million bags by 2027.
BY Wycliffe Musalia