President William Ruto has provided assurance to rice farmers in Mwea that the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) will commence purchasing their harvest at a rate of Sh.85 per kilogram.
President Ruto emphasized his government’s commitment to safeguarding the interests of rice farmers within the extensive Mwea irrigation scheme.
Expressing his concern for the farmers, Ruto remarked, “I am told that the national cereal and produce board is buying rice at Sh.72 per kilogramme and I have told them to return the price to Sh.85 per kilogramme, as it was”
This announcement comes in response to a recent outcry from rice farmers in the Mwea irrigation scheme after the NCPB declared its intention to buy rice at Sh.72 per kilogram.
The farmers, accustomed to a rate of Sh.85 per kilogram established by former President Uhuru Kenyatta on February 13, 2020, questioned the rationale behind the reduction.
John Munene, a rice farmer at the Thiba section, expressed bewilderment, stating, “Government has been buying rice at Sh. 85 per kilogramme after former president Uhuru Kenyatta ordered February 13, 2020. We wonder why NCPB in Mwea are lowering the price.”
In support of the President’s decision, Kirinyaga Senator James Kamau Murango highlighted that the revised rates would assist farmers in minimizing production costs.
Murango, who also serves as the chairman of the agriculture committee in the senate, expressed his satisfaction, saying, “I am very happy with the president’s announcement because rice farmers right now are harvesting rice in all sections”
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