The government has delivered more fertiliser at all NCPB depots in the North Rift region as farmers queue for the second week to buy fertiliser at subsidized prices of Sh3,500 per 50 kg bag.
The additional fertiliser was delivered in Eldoret from Mombasa using the Kenya Railways wagons and transported to far-flung depots using lorries.
Long queues have continued to be witnessed at the nine NCPB depots in the North Rift region where the farmers are collecting subsidised fertiliser.
The farmers are buying the fertiliser at a subsidised price of Sh3,500 per 50 Kg bag instead of the market price of more than Sh6,000.
NCPB North Rift region manager Gilbert Rotich said farmers should not panic over supplies because the government had prepared to ensure they access the quantities they require.
More than 7 million bags of fertiliser are expected to be delivered in all parts of the country ahead of the planting season next month.
“We want to assure all farmers that they will receive adequate supplies as promised by the government,” Rotich said.
Leaders from the region led by Moiben MP Professor Phyllis Bartoo also visited the Eldoret depot to assess the distribution of the fertiliser.
“We are excited with this programme because it confirms that the Kenya Kwanza administration is committed to the food security of this country,” Bartoo said.
The farmers led by Christopher Kolum have also welcomed the government's move to deliver the fertiliser ahead of the planting season
Uasin Gishu county government has also teamed up with the National Cereals and Produce Board to ensure farmers have easy access to subsidized fertilisers in all areas.
Agriculture executive Edward Sawe said the county has offered five stores to be used as distribution centres for the fertiliser in areas where the farmers are far from the NCPB depots.
He spoke at the Eldoret NCPB depot where the NCPB officials received the additional fertiliser delivered by the Kenya Railways.
Sawe said the five stores offered by the county are capable of holding up to 6,000 bags.
He also urged farmers who are yet to register to do so to benefit from the fertiliser subsidy program.
The government has been registering farmers to capture all their details electronically, and the same is used to generate e-vouchers for the purchase of fertiliser.
Sawe said so far over 99,000 farmers have been registered in Uasin Gishu.
Rotich said farmers can access the fertiliser at all NCPB depots and KNTC stores and there were plans to ensure that cooperative societies also distribute the same.
