The County Government of Uasin Gishu has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Afex Fair Trade Limited to purchase maize from farmers across the county through cooperative societies.
The MoU was signed by the county through the Department of Cooperative and Enterprise Development on Tuesday, February 22, 2022.
Speaking on Tuesday, County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Cooperative and Enterprise Development Ms. Esther Mutai said the county will oversee the agreement as outlined in the MOU to ensure the terms of engagement are fair to the parties and farmers.
Several farmers’ cooperatives across the county also signed the agreement.
Among the cooperative societies that signed the MoU were, Mateeny Farmers’ Cooperative, Kaptait farmers’ cooperative, Lemook farmers’ cooperative, Tuiyotich Farmers’ cooperative, Borotet Union, Takawa Farmers’ Cooperative, and Ndubeneti farmers’ cooperative.
The MoU comes as a major boost to farmers – especially those that are unable to deliver their produce to the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB).
Maize farmers have in the past also faced a challenge of lack of market for their produce, something that will be a thing of the past with the latest MoU with the Afex Fair Trade Limited.
Afex Fair Trade Limited (Kenya) is an organization that offers various services to small-scale farmers and cooperatives. The company currently has its warehouses in Moi’s Bridge, Jua Kali in Turbo Sub County, and Moiben Sub County.
