Wheat farmers can now entry reasonably priced {and professional} providers in Nationwide Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB silos to avert post-harvest losses occasioned by poor storage services.
The NCPB is now providing drying, cleansing, grading, and weighing and storage services at their depots to cushion wheat farmers from the losses they incurred to make sure that their harvests met the requirements required.
In a press assertion the administration of NCPB affirmed their dedication to resolve the perennial post-harvest challenges to wheat farmers by making a conducive setting to reduce losses, preserve good wheat high quality requirements and improve meals security.
The board targets predominantly wheat farmers in Narok County and its environs to supply them circumstances to dry their produce noting that the company might be opening up the warehouses at reasonably priced charge to assist farmers handle such challenges.
Wheat farmers who’re presently harvesting in Narok and different pockets are invited to make the most of NCPB services to entry reasonably priced {and professional} providers. The providers can be found in silos in Narok, Nakuru, and Nairobi”, NCPB managing director Joseph Kimote stated.
In keeping with NCPB, among the providers to help farmers to handle post-harvest challenges included processing of moist grains, lack of enough storage, use of unsafe drying strategies to reduce instances of poor-quality grains that fetch low market costs, and use of sub standardized weighbridges which don’t replicate correct weights of wheat and defraud farmers of the true worth of their grain.
The Board has each cell and glued driers and what the farmers require is simply to go to the silo to make the most of fastened driers whereas those that want to have their wheat dried the place it’s handy for them can contact the silo supervisor Narok in order that the cell drier will be taken to them.
“We encourage farmers to come back collectively or mixture their wheat in order that it may be dried collectively” the MD famous.
Narok occurs to be one of many largest wheat producers within the nation and produces as much as 50 % o f the wheat consumed within the nation. At the moment farmers within the space are harvesting their crop.
NCPB has assured the farmers that these utilizing NCPB storage services will profit from protected storage in addition to have the wheat marketed on their behalf. The Board has each standard shops and Warehouse Receipt System (WRS) consumption services.
Kenya is among the largest wheat producers in Africa, with wheat being the second most vital cereal crop after maize.
In keeping with Agriculture Meals Authority, the nation consumes about 2.4 million luggage however with solely 100,000 metric tonnes produced , the nation has to import near 2 million metric tonnes yearly from Russia and Ukraine.
Wheat usually grows with a median yield of 20-25 luggage per acre. One bag of wheat weighs 90kg, presently farmers promoting the grade 1 are getting Ksh 5,200 whereas Grade 2 goes for Ksh5,100.
Cereal Growers Affiliation CEO, Antony Kioko stated that manufacturing of wheat this yr is projected at between 600,000-700,000 luggage in Narok County.
“There was a drop in acreage over time because of farmers dropping out of wheat farming following worth fluctuations. There has additionally been elevated price of manufacturing and this usually eats into the margins of the farmers and those that can not maintain it drop out. We’re calling on authorities help to assist enhance manufacturing”, the CEO stated
By Wangari Ndirangu
Supply: kenyanews
