Farmers in Homa Bay have called on the county government to subsidise expensive fertiliser.
Those who have visited the National Cereals and Produce Board depot have on several occasions gone back home empty-handed due to the high prices.
The farmers have said failure to provide them with cheaper inputs will result in food shortage even as the planting season nears.
At the NCPB depot, a 50kg bag of fertiliser is sold at Sh4,950.
Depot manager Ben Abongo said they hardly sell the commodity because farmers were used to buying the product at a much lower cost.
“They used to purchase it at Sh1,300. The increased price has kept many farmers at bay,” Abongo said.
Most farmers said the price difference will make them unable to plant at the right time.
Farmers Musa Obuya (Homa Bay) and Bernard Omondi (Rangwe) were concerned their plans to plant using fertilisers were likely to be interrupted.
The farmers said they will have low output as rains will soon start.
“The rains are here and the more we delay, the more our crops will fail. Let the government act fast to avoid running out of food,” Obuya said.
Omondi called on the county to offer them subsidised seeds.
He said the county had advised them to cultivate their land and provide them with reduced cost fertilisers.
Homa Bay government had said it procured tractors to help in cultivating the land.
“We ploughed our land at our costs. When we came here we did not get subsidised fertilisers as promised by the government,” Omondi said.
Homa Bay Agriculture executive Beatrice Asyago said they are responding to the complaints.
“We’re working on modalities to ensure we address the situation,” Asyago said.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris
