Farmers wait to deliver their produce to the NCPB Eldoret depot on November 16, 2016. [Photo: nation.co.ke]
Farmers who have delivered their maize at the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) depots across the country will be smiling all the way to the banks, next week.
This is after Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Willy Bett said NCPB will begin paying for delivered maize on Monday.
Speaking during a visit at the Eldoret NCPB depot on Thursday, Bett assured that the government has sufficient funds to buy maize from farmers this year.He revealed that they are targeting to purchase at least 1.5 million bags of maize for the Strategic Grain Reserves.
"We are ready for a government to pay all our farmers who are bringing their maize at the NCPB," assured the CS.
"I know there are farmers who have brought the maize but they are yet to be paid and we assure them that the over sh600 million will be paid on Monday; even those who will be delivering from Monday going forward will also be paid," he added.
By Wednesday, over 370,000 bags of maize had been delivered at NCPB depots across the country.The government is buying a 90kg bag of maize at Sh3,200.