Prices of fertiliser have increased by between Sh300 and Sh500.
A fertiliser exporter and trader who did not want to be named told the Star that during the same time last year, a 90kg bag of DAP was selling at Sh2,200, while CAN fertiliser was selling at Sh1,400 in Mombasa.
He said currently, the prices have increased to Sh1,700 for CAN fertiliser; DAP fertiliser is selling at between Sh2,900 and Sh3,000; while NPK is at Sh2,500 at the Port of Mombasa.
He attributed the high costs to scarcity in the world market, and going by the principle of supply and demand, prices go up when there is a shortage.
“The price is likely to go higher by the end of the month because DAP fertiliser will arrive in Mombasa at a cost of Sh3,200, CAN at between Sh2,000 and Sh2,100 and Urea fertiliser will be at Sh2,800,” he said.
The trader took issue with farmers who always complain when prices of fertiliser go up but do not complain when the cost of fuel is increased.
Kenya Farmers Association chairman Kipkorir Menjo said fertiliser prices have gone up in the North Rift from between Sh2,600 and Sh2,700 last year to Sh3,200 this year.
He called on the government to roll out the e-voucher system to support poor farmers that cannot afford the high cost of fertiliser.
“We are getting into the planting season which starts this month to early April. We acknowledge that the high cost of fuel has impacted on the prices. This is the reason why the e-voucher will come in handy to help farmers that rely on the long rain maize crop,” Menjo said.
In 2019, the government ended the fertiliser subsidy programme because of interference by unscrupulous traders who benefitted at the expense of genuine farmers.
This was replaced with the e-voucher system where farmers will receive a voucher from their respective county governments to buy farm inputs such as seeds and fertliser from the nearest agro-dealer. The registered and licensed agro-dealer will later claim their payments from the government.
-Edited by Sarah Kanyara
