Farmers who delivered maize to the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) will be paid Sh2.55 billion by mid-March, Agriculture secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri has said.
The Cabinet secretary told MPs that the ministry had asked for more money through the supplementary budget to clear the debt owed to farmers.
Mr Kiunjuri said the NCPB had received 2,811,055 bags of maize from farmers all valued at Sh8.9 billion. The ministry has already paid Sh6.4 billion to farmers for their deliveries, Mr Kiunjuri said.
He added that the ministry expected to receive 1.5 million bags of maize from farmers but because of good prices offered, most farmers brought maize the board. He said the NCPB had received 800 bags of maize more than what it had expected.