A proposal to dissolve the Strategic Food Reserve Trust Fund (SFRTF) and have its functions transferred to the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) has sparked disquiet with a section of leaders from the Western region now alleging the hand of cartels in the decision.

At its establishment in 2015 under the Public Finance Management Act, SFRTF was mandated to ensure strategic food reserve in the country by ensuring stability of food supplies and prices and mobilizing funds to support related activities.

To oversight the fund, Strategic Food Reserve Oversight Board (SFROB) was established under the same PFM Act (2012) under the SFRTF regulations of 2015 and mandated to provide oversight and policy direction to the fund.

It argues that dissolving SFRTF will leave the process of strategic food reserve management to ministries without any oversight, taking back the country to the previous status quo where the government lost billions through the Strategic Grain Reserve, which necessitated the establishment of the former.

It claims NCPB, which is the fund’s agent for procurement, storage, transportation and sale of strategic food reserve stocks has on several occasions failed to remit full proceeds of sale of its Strategic Food Reserve sales and overtime accumulated debts of unpaid invoices after failing to provide necessary documentation to facilitate settlement of the same.