The Strategic Food Reserve (SFR) has been asked to increase the maize buying prices from Sh2,300 to Sh2,500 per 90 kilogram bag.
Uasin Gishu County Executive in charge of Agriculture Samuel Yego says the price recently announced by SFR board is too low compared to the cost of production that farmers incureed.
“The cost of producing a 90-kg bag of maize calculated from planting to selling to NCPB or millers is Sh2,105 and for a farmer who has leased land is Sh2,595,” said Yego in Eldoret town, Wednesday.
“When you do an average of a farmer leasing or planting maize on his own farm, there is no profit and the price only caters for the cost of production,” he added.
The County Executive further said when sharing the price being offered to the farmer for the 9 waiting months, he/she ends up making a loss.
Yego, however, called on millers to be patriotic and buy maize from farmers and not from neighboring countries.
“Many millers in Eldoret town buy their maize from across the country. They should negotiate back and buy maize from local farmers for them to benefit,” he noted.
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