Warehouse Receipting System Sensitization Workshop Held in Uasin Gishu County

On November 8, 2023, the County Government of Uasin Gishu, in collaboration with the National Agricultural Value Chain Development Project (NAVCDP) and the Warehouse Receipt System Council (WRSC), held a second day of sensitization workshop on the Warehouse Receipting System (WRS).

The workshop was attended by Sub-County Administrators, Deputy County Commissioners, Sub-County Agricultural Officers, and Cooperative and Trade Officers, with the goal of equipping them with the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively inform and educate farmers at the grassroots level about the WRS.

Agriculture County Executive Edward Sawe officially opened the workshop by highlighting the importance of the WRS in the agricultural sector. He emphasized its potential to address a number of key challenges faced by farmers, including:

• Post-harvest losses: The WRS can help farmers to reduce post-harvest losses by providing them with access to safe and secure storage facilities. This is particularly important for perishable commodities, such as fruits and vegetables.
• Market access: The WRS can help farmers to improve their market access by connecting them with buyers directly. This can reduce their reliance on middlemen and help them to get a better price for their produce.
• Bargaining power: The WRS can help farmers to increase their bargaining power by providing them with evidence of the quantity and quality of their produce. This can help them to negotiate better prices with buyers.
• Access to credit: The WRS can help farmers to access credit from banks and other financial institutions by using their warehouse receipts as collateral. This can help them to finance their agricultural operations and invest in new technologies.
• Structured trading: The WRS can promote structured trading of agricultural commodities by providing a transparent and efficient trading platform. This can help to reduce price volatility and improve the overall efficiency of the agricultural sector.

Sawe also stressed the importance of the role of the workshop participants in sensitizing farmers about the WRS. He urged them to use their knowledge and skills to educate farmers about the benefits of the WRS and how to use it to their advantage.

The workshop participants were then taken through a series of presentations on the different aspects of the WRS, including its legal framework, its operations, and its benefits to farmers. They were also given the opportunity to ask questions and discuss their concerns with experts from the NAVCDP and the WRSC.

The workshop ended with a call to action for the participants to work together to promote the WRS among farmers in Uasin Gishu County. The participants pledged to use their knowledge and skills to educate farmers about the WRS and its benefits, and to help them to register for the system.

The Warehouse Receipting System is a valuable tool that can help farmers to overcome a number of challenges and improve their livelihoods. The County Government of Uasin Gishu is to be commended for its efforts to sensitize farmers about the WRS and to promote its adoption.