Wheat farmers cry foul, threaten to quit planting crop
By Winstone Cheseremi, February 26, 2025Farmers from the North Rift region have threatened to reduce their parcels of land under the crop this season.
Speaking to the media in Eldoret town, the wheat growers who met under the umbrella of Cereal Growers Association accused the government of failing to cushion them from importation of wheat.
Led by Silas Samoei, the growers claimed that they were unable to sell last year’s produce because the markets are flooded by the imports.
“We are still holding last year’s harvest of wheat in our stores as millers have shunned our produce in favour of cheap imports of wheat that have flooded local markets,” said Samoei.
Samoei made the remarks after holding a meeting of more than 300 wheat growers drawn from the region at an Eldoret hotel in Uasin GishuCounty.
No mop-up
He said that they have resolved to stop engaging in large scale wheat farming since it was no longer profitable. Another farmer, Samson Kemboi, said that millers were taking advantage of the situation by offering them Sh3,500 per 90-kilogramme bag of wheat instead of current market rates of Sh5,300 per bag.
“We do not know who to run to for help now that the government has abandoned us. We are still stuck with last year’s huge stock in our stores and the planting season for the crop is just some few months away,” stated Kemboi.
He said that it was unwise for the government to allow imported wheat to flood the market instead compelling local millers to mop up all the stock that was harvested last year first.
According to Kemboi, the imports have drastically affected the purchase of the local crop.
“Why should we go back to wheat farming this season when the stock for last year is still in stores due to lack of markets as millers have filled godowns in Eldoret town with imported wheat,” wondered Kemboi