Nairobi, May 30 -- Maize farmers will be able to consolidate their produce and sell as a group to ward off middlemen as the government moves to form co-operatives tailored for grain producers.

Co-operative Principal Secretary Patrick Kilemi said as it stands now, most small-scale farmers do not have access to co-operatives and are forced to dispose of their produce at throwaway prices to brokers who offer dismal prices.

Mr Kilemi said under this scheme, farmers will be aggregated into groups and linked to co-operatives to give them bargaining power when it comes to dictating sell terms.

"We want to aggregate farmers into co-operatives so that they can negotiate for better prices for not only their produce but also when securing farm in...