By Mercy Buyanzi -Trans Nzoia County
The Warehouse Receipt Council has partnered with the county government to sensitize farmers in the region about adopting the system, especially with the increase in the number of certified warehouses available for storing their produce.
The county executive committee member in charge of Agriculture and Livestock Phanice Khatundi highlighted the program’s low uptake, primarily affecting smallholder farmers due to high transportation costs to access the only warehouse at the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) in Kitale.
“We want to increase the number of farmers participating in the program, including large-scale ones, owing to the need to curb post-harvest losses potentially caused by El Niño rains and protect farmers from selling their produce at low prices,” Ms Khatundi stated.
The county expects a bumper harvest of more than 5.6 million 90 kg bags of maize, though this projection has been adjusted downward due to post-harvest losses and some farmers selling their produce as silage.
The county executive committee member for Trade, Investment, and Industry, Stanley Kirui, pledged to ensure that farmers who have stored their produce under the warehouse receipt system gain access to market linkages for better returns.
“While farmers can access credit facilities by using the issued receipts as collateral, they also have the advantage of being connected to new markets through initiatives by the county government,” said Mr Kirui.
He also noted that the county government has introduced new laws to protect maize farmers from exploitative traders who manipulate market prices to their advantage, causing losses to farmers.
