Bungoma farmers Want Tax free maize Imported

Written by Daniel Saenyi

Farmers in the Bungoma County want the government to go ahead and implement proposal to extend the period for zero rating import duty on maize and wheat to cushion them from the current food shortage.

The farmers claimed, six months and a one-year period for zero rated import duty for maize and wheat respectively, will not do anything to local produce unlike their Rift Valley counterparts who think the period is too long  and will hurt the selling prices when they harvest.

According to Mr. Rogers Khaemba, a farmer in Bungoma County, the government should import the tax free maize for the aid of those still in Internal Displaced Persons Camps. He also insisted that in currently in Kenya, there is no maize which has lead to High prices, so the imported maize should be brought immediately to bring down the prices.

“We are currently experiencing a shortage in maize supplies, a contributing factor to the sky rocketing prices of maize. This is hitting hard on the poor in the society who have struggled to make ends meet. Those farmers who are opposing the move to import the maize should hold their horses because they don’t know if they will get anything from their harvest,” Said Mr. Khaemba.

Harvests from Western Kenya will be in the market in the next two months. Even with this, the farmers still want the tax free maize; perhaps they just want an easy go in life although currently life in Western Kenya is on hard path.

The basis that Bungoma Farmers are basing on for supporting the importation is typicaly on the mystery of the unknown future which may be grim than most people expect. They argue out the point that even if Kenya gets a good harvest, the maize may not be of good quality and the country will be back in the ditch, crying out for help from the government which they would have rejected before.

According to Mr. Jeremiah Nyongesa, who is also a farmer from Sikata area in Bungoma County, importing the maize will even help to increase the sales of their produce.

Mr. Nyongesa said, “Importing the maize will in no way spoil the business of Kenyan farmers, it will even be good because if the country will have enough maize by the end of the year, it may offer Kenyan farmers a chance to export their produce to other countries, we might even sell our harvest at higher prices than it is at the moment.”

The farmers however, suggested that proper policies that will improve the country’s food security are what this country lacks. Kenya Farmers Association (KFA) for instance should be revived and strengthened to save farmers from exploitation due to high cost of farm inputs.

The farmers also commended Finance minister Uhuru Kenyatta for injecting Sh100 billion towards agricultural productivity, especially on irrigation projects because it will improve on the crop production in the country leading to high yields.