President William Ruto announced Thursday that Kenya will ban permits allowing millers to import wheat or maize in order to protect local farmers and stabilize food prices.
Speaking during a meeting at the State House in Nairobi, Ruto said “we will not allow the unchecked importation of maize and wheat so that we can support our farmers.”
The president stated that exceptions would only be made if there is insufficient locally-grown produce to meet demand. He also said the government will allocate KES 4 billion to purchase maize directly from Kenyan farmers.
Ruto made the remarks while meeting with a delegation from Narok North Constituency led by Member of Parliament Agnes Pareiyo. Also present were the governors of Narok and Samburu counties, the Narok West MP, MCAs and grassroots leaders.
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Ruto urged farmers “not to sell their hard-earned crops at throwaway prices just to offload them quickly.”
To help reduce post-harvest losses from excess moisture content, he announced that the National Cereals and Produce Board would allow farmers to dry their maize at NCPB facilities for just KES 50 per bag, down from KES 400 previously.
“Even if farmers don’t want to sell their maize to NCPB, they will have an opportunity to dry their produce at the State agency and store it,” he explained.
Additionally, Ruto said a new Kenya Cooperative Creameries milk processing plant will be constructed in Narok County to improve milk quality and boost prices for local dairy farmers.
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