President William Ruto has vowed to crush miraa cartels who are exploiting farmers.
To achieve this, President Ruto tasked his deputy Kithure Kindiki with the role of eliminating the cartels that are taking advantage of miraa farmers.
The President pointed out that cartels within the sector are frustrating government efforts to return miraa business to profitability for the benefit of farmers.
“Am telling the miraa cartels they have three things. It’s either they stop exploiting farmers or they will either go to prison or go on ‘another journey’ or they will vacate the country ,” President Ruto said.
Speaking in Maua town in Meru county yesterday, President Ruto said miraa should be recognised as a cash crop like tea, coffee and any other cash crop, adding that they will make every effort to ensure that farmers get better prices.
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”I recently told Agriculture CS Mutahi Kagwe that the way we are helping tea farmers and other cash crops we should also help Miraa farmers. That is why the new Miraa prices were gazetted recently,” he said.
Besides crushing the cartels, President Ruto said the government is negotiating with the Somalia for higher prices of miraa exports disclosing that he has spoken with the Somalia President, Somaliland President and Jubaland President so that they can find a market for miraa and better prices for miraa.
Deputy President Kindiki admitted that he is ready to take on the cartels just as he did with cattle rustlers when he was in charge of the Interior ministry.
“Leave the miraa cartels to me, the CS and PS. I will deal with them the same way I fought terrorists and bandits in Lamu and the North Rift. I will crush the cartels, I will hit them with the biggest axe ever,” Kindiki said.
DP added that they have set the minimum return for miraa to enable the farmers fully benefit.
On Coffee, President Ruto said he had improved coffee prices from around Sh. 50 and Sh. 60 and now this year it’s about Sh.110 -Sh.130.
“We have seen the increase of prices because we eliminated brokers by issuing one licence since many cartels were posing as farmers, buyers, millers and auctioneers,” President Ruto added.
He also promised to ensure coffee prices continue increasing noting this year they will give out 20,000 coffee seedlings to farmers.
DP Kindiki added that the administration will build 400 new markets across the country to dignify small scale traders,saying that President Ruto is on course to fulfil his promises to the electorates.
By John Majau.
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