WRSC and KENAFF forge strategic partnership to Transform Agriculture Commodity trade
The Council, under the leadership of Ag. CEO Ms. Lucy Komen, and the Kenya National Farmers’ Federation (KENAFF), led by CEO Dr. Daniel Mwendah M’Mailutha, formalized a strategic partnership through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the Farmers’ Conference Centre in Thogoto.
This collaboration reflects a shared commitment to advance the adoption of the Warehouse Receipt System (WRS) among KENAFF’s 1.1 million members. Key focus areas include; Structured commodity trade, Post-harvest management, Access to quality storage facilities, Market access and linkages.
The partnership aims to enhance sensitization, awareness, training, and capacity building for farmers and stakeholders. Additionally, it seeks to strengthen public-private partnerships and align with the government’s Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda (BeTA).
Dr. Mwendah encouraged the Council to broaden their focus beyond milk, potatoes, and maize, urging plans to include other value chains. He assured the Council of KENAFF’s full support, pledging collaboration across counties to showcase how this partnership will improve the agricultural trading environment and enhance farmer livelihoods.
Ms. Komen emphasized the benefits of the WRS, noting that this structured system allows farmers to transition from being price takers to price negotiators. She highlighted the importance of quality control in warehouses, which will enable cereal millers and agro-processors to benefit from reliable forward contracts. Additionally, she shared plans to integrate the dairy value chain, including converting milk into powder and leveraging warehouse receipts for processing and financing.
Additionally, she noted that the Council had plans to certify Mauka Coperative warehouse in Njoro, Nakuru County, Agribora, a privately owned warehouse in Uasin Gishu and Government-owned facilities like the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB). Ms. Komen encouraged farmers to use these facilities to improve marketability and secure better financial opportunities.