The Eldoret Unga Limited will stop maize purchasing for a few weeks to create space for more stock, a move that could see middlemen further aiming for desperate farmers who are trying to avert handling costs. Unga’s raw materials supervisor Dennis Mwambi said that the miller will suspend the buying exercise for about 3 weeks in order to decongest its stores.
The officer however said that the maize in queues will still be bought; the company has been buying new harvests at Kshs. 2, 400 per 90kg bag.
“The miller is the biggest buyer of maize in our region. The break will be disastrous considering the farmers’ troubles and we hope that purchasing resumes soon,” the Kenya Farmers Association (KFA) North Rift director Kipkorir Menjo said.
On the same note, the price of maize the government will be using to buy the produce this year is still unclear.