Maize farmers in Trans Nzoia and other North Rift counties whose produce is ready for harvesting have been urged to do so before the onset of the expected El Nino rains.
The advice has been issued by the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) Kitale branch depot manager Milcah Lunani.
In an interview with the media on Wednesday, September 20, 2023, Lunani said the farmers should take advantage of the dry period to harvest their maize so that it is not destroyed by the expected heavy rains.
She also revealed that the depot stores are ready to receive farmers’ maize and urged them not to worry about storage space.
“Even if you do not have a store, just harvest your maize and bring it to us we shall dry and store it for you at a small fee,” Lunani appealed.
Additionally, the NCPB Kitale depot manager asked farmers who have harvested their maize not to sell their produce to exploitative middlemen.
Warehouse Receipt System
She has instead asked them to utilize the Warehouse Receipt System (WRS) as they await better prices.
“As a farmer who worked hard the whole year to produce, you should not sell your maize to brokers at throw-away prices. You can bring your maize, we store it for you as you look for the market. That’s the essence of the Warehouse Receipt System,” she said.
The warehouse receipt is a process where owners of commodities deposit their commodities in a certified warehouse and are issued with documents known as Warehouse Receipt as proof of ownership.
The receipt may be negotiable or nonnegotiable. Negotiable receipts allow transfer of ownership of that commodity without having to deliver the physical commodity while nonnegotiable receipts must be endorsed upon transfer.
Warehouse receipts are eligible as collateral for loans.
Meanwhile, Lunani stated that the depots’ store doors will be opened once the Ministry of Agriculture declares the maize buying price.
The Kitale NCPB depot has two operational driers with a capacity of drying 10,000 bags of 90 kilograms from 18.5% to 13.5% moisture content required for storage.
NCPB charges Ksh33 for every 1% drop in moisture content and Ksh60 per stone for one month of storage.
Post-harvest losses are one of the major causes of food and nutrition insecurity in Kenya. It is estimated Kenya loses over 30% of fresh produce through post-harvest losses.
