Agency certifies 58 NCPB warehouses to receive harvested produce
Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) has certified 58 National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) warehouses in readiness to start implementing the Warehousing Receipt System (WRS) and manage post-harvest losses.
The stores, according to AFA, have been certified after achieving the Codex standards – a collection of standards, guidelines and codes of practice – adopted by Codex Alimentarius Commission, joint intergovernmental body of Food and Agriculture Organisation and World Health Organisation.
Required standards
The certification of the stores and one Silo Complex was carried out between May 26 and June 26, 2020.
Joseph Kimote, NCPB managing director said in a statement that the certification of all stores is continuing to ensure they conform to the required standards for food storage. NCPB has 110 depots spread across the country.
Kenya Bureau of Standards developed standards for silos -KS 2657:2016 Standard on Warehouse and Warehousing of Bagged Storage of Cereals and Pulses and the Provisions of the Crops (Food Crops) Regulations, 2019.
The certification of the warehouses is part of new reforms the government is undertaking to restructure the NCPB.
Under the new reforms, private sector will be allowed to participate in storage of the commodity under the WRS as NCPB will initially have to cede at least 25 per cent accounting 28 depots of its storage capacity across the country through competitive commercial leasing.
