Post by Onyango Oloo on Oct 11, 2005 20:47:11 GMT 3
Ugandan Maize Floods Kenya
by Reuben Olita, New Vision (Kampala)
October 11, 2005
Posted to the web October 11, 2005
Workers in Uganda bag maize seed.
Ugandan maize has flooded the Kenyan market, with officials saying the quality is good compared to their local produce.
Eldoret Grain Limited's manager, Taib Bajaber, said on Friday that maize from Uganda is of a high quality with a moisture content of 14% and below.
Bajaber said they purchase a 90-kilogramme bag of maize at Ksh1,000 while National Cereals and Produce Board buy the same quantity at Ksh1,400.
Many farmers in western Kenyan have complained of massive competition from cheap maize from Uganda, which has forced them to sell their produce at throw-away prices.
Maize from Mbale district is sold in many trading centres like Bungoma, Lugari, Bomet and Nandi districts with middlemen coming from as far as Nairobi, Nyeri, Nakuru and Mombasa.
The farmers urged the Kenyan government to save them from the cut-throat competition.
by Reuben Olita, New Vision (Kampala)
October 11, 2005
Posted to the web October 11, 2005
Workers in Uganda bag maize seed.
Ugandan maize has flooded the Kenyan market, with officials saying the quality is good compared to their local produce.
Eldoret Grain Limited's manager, Taib Bajaber, said on Friday that maize from Uganda is of a high quality with a moisture content of 14% and below.
Bajaber said they purchase a 90-kilogramme bag of maize at Ksh1,000 while National Cereals and Produce Board buy the same quantity at Ksh1,400.
Many farmers in western Kenyan have complained of massive competition from cheap maize from Uganda, which has forced them to sell their produce at throw-away prices.
Maize from Mbale district is sold in many trading centres like Bungoma, Lugari, Bomet and Nandi districts with middlemen coming from as far as Nairobi, Nyeri, Nakuru and Mombasa.
The farmers urged the Kenyan government to save them from the cut-throat competition.