Deputy President William Ruto, on Friday, hit out at MPs who were opposed to the idea of maize farmers diversifying to other crops like avocados.
Speaking at the Nakuru International Investment Summit, DP Ruto faulted the politicians for politicizing the issue at the expense of the farmers.
“I heard some people say the other day that they are not interested in diversification because you cannot put avocados in a store or you cannot feed avocados on initiates.
“People are producing for markets to export while others are thinking of how to produce to go and put in a store. That is how low some people think in our country," he stated.
His statement was in response to allegations by MPs Alfred Keter (Nandi Hills), Joshua Kuttuny (Cherengany) and Silas Tiren (Moiben) that he had a plan to import maize from Congo, hence his motivation to make North Rift farmers shift from farming the produce.
Without providing any evidence, the MPs stated that Ruto owned a 500,000-acre farm in the Republic of Congo.
"You can’t be telling us to plant avocados, plant macadamia but you are not telling us what happened to maize…Now you have gone even to Congo. You are growing 500,000 acres of maize," Keter claimed.
In reference to DP Ruto's visit to Congo in September, Kuttuny stated that the DP went to the country to seal the maize deal.
"Part of his mission to Congo recently was to sign the deal to start maize farming there. He wants local farmers to do avocado to occasion a maize shortage in the country so that his maize from Brazzaville can get its way to the local market," he stated.
