Bungoma NCPB refutes farmers claims of discrimination in selling fertilizer

Written by Rosemary Wachiye

Farmers at the Bungoma NCPB entrace all trying to purchase fertilizer for top dressing their maize crops. Photos/ Rosemary Wachie. Farmers in Bungoma County have criticized the National Cereal and Produce Board (NCPB) depot officer for discriminating them by not selling them fertilizer and instead selling to business men. One of the farmer’s, Mr. Sifuna Msuya raised his concern on behalf of other farmers in the region. He stated that on 31st May he visited the NCPB in Bungoma and instead of being issued with 12 bags as he intended to purchase, the officials sent him away to go and deposit the money in the bank. Mr. Msuya complains that a renowned trader in the region was allowed to purchase fertilizer worth Sh.300, 000 using cash. “What is surprising is that after sending me away, the officials at the Cereals and Produce Board accepted money from a trader which is so unfair since this fertilizer was meant for us farmers and not business men,” said Mr. Msuya. He urged the government to follow-up the proceedings at the Board and control the corruption in that sector. “The government should come in and assist us the farmers so that we can be able to purchase what is rightfully ours,” said Mr. Msuya However, Mr. Peterson Obuba the Manager at the NCPB Bungoma dismissed the claims by the farmers, stating that the Board took strictly cash from the farmers and did not at any point send farmers to the bank to pay. “We have always taken cash in exchange for fertilizer and so when one comes up with such a complaint as an official of this board I am surprised,” said Mr. Obuba. He stated openly that he is only entitled to approve authenticated invoices from the District Agriculture officers in the fields and therefore he is not to blame if he sells to the wrong people who are not farmers because he doesn’t know them. “It’s hard to differentiate who is a farmer and who is not because a business man through his own means can get the valid invoice from the District Agriculture Office in his region and therefore, I cant deny him the right to buy fertilizer because according to the documents he is an authorized buyer. All the same we are here to serve the farmers and strictly farmers not businessmen,” said Mr. Obuba. He also added that the work of the field officers was to identify each farmer’s farm size and issue a warranty towards purchasing fertilizers equivalent to the farm size. “When those documents come to our office we just endorse because we believe they are legal since they contain official signatures and rubberstamps from the field,” said Mr. Obuba. The fertilizer disbursed from the Ministry of Agriculture to the National Cereals and Produce Board is at a subsidized price as opposed to the ones sold in the shops. Farmers buy the fertiliser from the NCPB where prices are lower than in the market. The fertilizer at NCPB is selling at Ksh 2,500 per bag and Sh3, 500 at the market. “The Board officials are colliding with the traders and selling to them the fertilizers meant for farmers forcing us to end up buying it from the shops a very high price, “complained Mr. Msuya. On consulting from him about the 1,000 bags fertilizers that had been brought in from the ministry two weeks ago as claimed by Mr. Msuya, he gave no official comment and instead stated that it was not in his capacity to disclose such information to the press. “About that, may be you should ask the Board’s Public Relation Officer because I am not entitled to disclose such information to journalists,” said Mr. Obuba. Although he dismissed the complaints of the farmer stating that he might be having, malicious interests, it was evident to West FM that while specific farmers came out of the board with bags of fertilizers, others were still left in despair at the boards offices with no hope of being served.