Small scale tea growers across the country have received a major boost after a vessel carrying 30,000 metric tonnes of fertiliser docked at the Port of Mombasa.
The batch, intended for Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) farmers, will begin reaching buying centres and factories from next week.
During the dispatch ceremony at the port on Friday, KTDA Chairman Chege Kirundi said the offload signals a key step in supporting farmers during the current short-rains planting window.
“Farmers will start receiving the fertiliser next week,” Kirundi said.
This, while stating that the delivery will guarantee adequate supplies for the season’s crop.
He also revealed that a second shipment of 33,000 metric tonnes has already departed China, with a third, carrying 36,000 tonnes, scheduled to sail within the coming week.
Kirundi noted that the rains had marginally slowed offloading operations but assured growers that KTDA is working with port agencies to quicken distribution across tea zones.
KTDA director and Gatundu South MP Gabriel Kagombe, who was also present, said the delays stemmed from prolonged legal battles filed by bidders who lost out on supply tenders.
“The matter in court dragged on for about ten months, costing critical time that would have seen farmers receive fertiliser earlier,” Kagombe noted.
“This is the third incident in four years where litigation has disrupted supply. We are considering ways to limit such cases going forward.”
He stressed that despite the wait, the NPK 26-5-5 fertiliser being issued meets quality standards and will support higher yields.
Growers will buy the product at a government-supported price of Sh2,500 per 50-kilogram bag, easing pressure from high farm-input costs.
“The subsidy has been instrumental in making fertiliser affordable,” Kagombe added, saying KTDA will continue safeguarding efficient and equitable input distribution.
The consignment’s arrival brings relief to more than 600,000 smallholder tea farmers supplying KTDA factories, many of whom feared shortages as the planting season set in.
With the current load and additional consignments en route, KTDA leaders expressed confidence that farmers will now access sufficient inputs to uphold quality tea output and boost national export revenue.
The government is offering a subsidy to KTDA to lessen the burden on the part of the farmers.
Under this arrangement, fertiliser is sold to farmers for Sh2,500 per 50kg bag instead of the full market price.
Last year, KTDA procured 97,000 metric tonnes of the commodity, an increase of 4,000 metric tonnes from the previous year.
