Rift Valley, Kenya
Kenya risks experiencing maize shortage in the coming months if farmers continue to sell their produce directly from farms.
Most farmers in several regions across the country are selling green maize straight from farms as the harvesting season picks up. In selling the fresh produce, farmers are seeking to cut costs associated with drying and storage.
The farmers are selling their harvest to middlemen, who have pitched tent in maize growing areas buying the produce and taking it to the market where it is in great demand. In some regions, middlemen are even helping farmers to harvest the maize by buying the produce while still on the farms.
“Farmers are selling green maize in droves as they seek to cash in on the current high demand. Some middlemen are buying the maize while still in the farm. They are paying for it per acre,” Joshua Kavudi, a farmer in Western Kenya, said on Wednesday.
Kavudi noted the middlemen are paying for the maize at between Kshs. 29,400 and Kshs. 36,120 per acre.
“It depends with the size of maize. Normally, they arrive at the amount after the middlemen have surveyed a farm,” Kavudi said.
“Once the farmer and the trader agree on the amount to be paid, the middlemen then hire harvesters who clear the maize from the farms and pack them in sacks. We are told it is being transported to Nairobi, Mombasa and other areas which do not grow maize,” he said.
Kavudi observed that most farmers selling their green maize are trying to cut costs.
“Some do not want to incur harvesting, drying and storage costs, especially those who have bigger farms. For instance, if one has 20 acres under maize, they are selling five acres of green maize to middlemen,” he recounted.
The farmer observed that there are a lot of expenses involved in harvesting, drying and storage of maize.
“If you have an acre under maize, you can spend up to Kshs. 29,400 harvesting the crop. This is because you have to hire several people to do the work,” he elaborated.
Thereafter, recounted the farmer, one has to use more money to dry the maize, which takes time, and store it.
“If you intend to sell the maize to National Cereals and Produce Board, which offers better prices, you have to transport it to their station. You have to incur similar costs if you are selling the maize to local traders,” he explained.
These costs, according to the farmer, are what his colleagues are trying to avoid. “The middlemen are offering ready market and money to farmers. Most farmers sold their green maize in the last two weeks, which preceded the opening of schools. They were looking for cash to send their children back to school,” he said.
On the other hand, Kavudi recounted, some farmers are selling green maize to prevent thefts.
“Thieves have also invaded maize growing areas. You leave your maize to dry in the farm only to find that it was harvested. Farmers are trying to avoid such incidences,” he said. And as farmers flood the market with green maize, prices of the produce have dropped significantly.
Data from various markets across the East African nation indicate that a piece of green maize is retailing as low as Kshs. 5. In the capital Nairobi, where traders have flooded wholesale food markets with the maize, a piece is going for an average of Kshs 6.
In Eldoret and Kitale, maize growing areas where harvesting is taking place, green maize is being sold at Kshs 4 and Kshs 3 respectively. In Mombasa and Kisumu, the same produce is going from as low as Kshs.
Similarly, wholesale prices of the commodity have dropped, with a 115kg bag going from as low as Kshs 1,175. In the capital Nairobi, a 115kg bag of green maize is being sold in wholesale markets at Kshs 2,680. The bag is going for Kshs 1,175 in maize source markets in regions in Western Kenya.
“The price of green maize has dropped considerably as farmers continue to harvest. We are buying the commodity at the lowest prices ever. But this is not new, it happens every year,” said Grace Mutuku, who runs a grocery in Nairobi.
Mutuku noted that the influx of green maize in the market has led a drop in prices of dry maize. A 90kg bag of dry maize is going for Kshs 3,275 in the Nairobi. In the other parts of the East African nation, the same bag is going at a maximum of Kshs 3,520 and a minimum of Kshs 2,300 .
In its latest food security report, Kenya’s Ministry of Agriculture indicated that the country expects to harvest about 21 million 90kg bags of maize by the end of December. About 18.2 million bags are to come from farmers who planted their crops during the April to July long rains season while 2.5 million bags are to come farmers who planted their crops during the ongoing short rains season.
This projection may not be realized due to the ongoing harvesting of green maize. (Xinhua)
Leave a comment