The National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) will buy only 400 bags of maize from every farmer, cutting shot the joy of large scale maize farmers across the country.
In an effort to tame traders who might take advantage of the higher prices, (2,500 shillings per 90-kilogram bag), the government says traders with more than 400 bags will have to be cleared by Strategic Food Reserve (SFR).
The government hopes to purchase a total of 2,000,000 bags of maize from farmers with brokers and middlemen set to be locked out of the process.
Even if the government will be able to purchase 2,000,000 bags of maize, farmers will still be stranded with the surplus as the harvest during the last season is estimated to be at 16,000,000 bags.
Initially, the government had announced that it would buy maize from farmers at the price of 2,300 shillings, leading to protests among maize farmers. President Uhuru Kenyatta revised the price up by 200 shillings to 2,500 shillings.