A file photo of a farmer lifting a bag of fertilizer donated by government at the Nakuru Cereals and Produce board depot in March, 2014. [Photo: nation.co.ke]
More than 1,000 maize farmers from Nakuru County staged a day-long sit-in at the National Cereals and Produce Board depot in Nakuru Tuesday demanding a one-month arrear amounting to Sh300 million.
Braving the scorching afternoon sun, the farmers called for urgent intervention from the government to enable them receive their dues for 100,000 bags of maize they supplied the facility last month.
Farmers Lawrence Mungai and Nderitu Kimemia accused the government and the depot`s management of having reneged on the 24-hour contract entered with the farmers saying this has increasingly inconvenienced them.
In the contract which was not shared with the media, farmers were to receive full payment within 24 hours of delivery.
The disillusioned farmers who even ensured that no truck delivering the produce at the depot is offloaded told reporters that the depot`s management has been giving them false promises.
Nakuru NCPB Silo manager Alfred Korir who granted audience to the farmers conceded the delay but attributed it to the state Department of Agriculture which he said has not disbursed money.
Korir said the government has only released Sh49 Million to the depot and the money has since been spent to pay 27,586 bags supplied over the last two months.
However, the manager reassured the farmers that the depot will pay the outstanding amount in due course.
Korir urged large-scale farmers in the region to continue supplying the depot the grain as the government is keen on stocking all the country`s strategic grain reserves by the end of March this year.
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