investigations into the issue of discoloration of maize at NCPB Depots commences, Says Kiunjuri.

 

Agriculture CS Mwangi Kiunjuri address the media inside Kisumu's Depot of NCPB.He says the Government is investigating the issue of discoloration of maize within the various silos across the country-Photo By Dickson Odhiambo

 By Dickson Odhiambo.

 November 13, 2018.

 Investigations into the issue of discoloration of maize at NCPB Depots commences, Says Kiunjuri.

THE Government is investigating the issue of discoloration of the maize that has been stored in various silos within the National Cereals and Produce Board deports across the country, Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri has said.

The Cabinet Secretary in charge of Agriculture says the Government want to know the exact reasons for the coloration of maize stored in the silos.

Addressing the press in Kisumu today when he visited the National Cereals and Produce Board Kisumu depot, Kiunjuri said among the areas of investigation is whether the overstaying of the maize at the silos can be one of the causes of its discoloration.

“We are investigating whether the issue of maize overstaying in the silos or whether lack of enough storage facilities contributed to this,” Kiunjuri says.

He says already an inter-ministerial team has been formed to determine the suitability of the maize in the stores within the silos.

The agriculture Cabinet Secretary says the inter-ministerial is comprised of the Department of Public Health from the Ministry of Health, Kenya Bureau of Standards from the Ministry of Trade, KEPHIS, Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization {KALRO} and the Department of Crops from the Ministry of Agriculture.

He says the team will ascertain the actual condition of the Maize within the silos and say whether the discolored maize is fit for human consumption as earlier directed by the Senate.

He says the team will give a very comprehensive report on the condition and suitability of the Maize within the various silos across the country within this week.

The CS says already the team has visited Eldoret, Kitale, Moi’s Bridge National Cereals and Produce Board to carry out that exercise.

Today the team has visited Kisumu and will visit Bungoma NCPB Silos in the course of the day.

Kiunjuri at the same time says a task force on Sugar Industry revitalization  has been formed and has gotten down to work to look into the challenges and issues of concerns within the sugar sector.

He says in the task force Kisumu Governor is representing the county Government, adding that other Governors are also in the task force and other stakeholders.

The CS Agriculture says already the Government has directed the Ministry to pay the Sugar cane farmers about 2.6 billion.

He adds that already a team has been appointed by the Ministry and National Treasury so as to do an audit of the state owned sugar millers before embarking on paying the sugar cane farmers.

“This audit will ensure that we only pay genuine farmers and not ghost ones as has been the case with maize,” he adds.

Kiunjuri further says the Audit will enable the sugar factories to have an opportunity to sort out those farmers who owe them.

ENDS: