State dispatches 900,000 bags of fertiliser to tea farmers

The government has flagged off 900, 000 bags of fertiliser which will be distributed to tea farmers across the country.

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi said the 45,000 tonnes of fertiliser will be delivered to tea buying centres.

“This will ensure that farmers do not incur extra cost transporting the fertiliser from the factory stores to their farms,” the CS said while flagging off the fertiliser in Mombasa on Thursday.

The fertiliser was the second consignment for Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) farmers.

The first consignment of 47,800 tonnes (956,000 bags) was received at the Port of Mombasa in October and has already been distributed to farmers.

Linturi thanked President William Ruto for ensuring that smallholder tea farmers under the Kenya Tea Development Authority are getting fertiliser at subsidised rates thus cushioning them against high prices that have characterised the market.

“The Government has prioritised the provision of fertiliser to ensure that farmers can competitively produce crops, sustain agricultural production and productivity and contribute to the management of the cost of living,” he said.

He noted that subsidised fertiliser has been availed across the various crop value chains including tea.

In 2023, farmers received sic million 50-kilogramme bags of subsidised fertiliser for both planting and top dressing.

Linturi said plans are underway to ensure that a total of seven million 50-kilogramme bags of fertiliser is availed during the long and short-run seasons of 2024.

“This will cut across priority value chains as defined in the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda,” he stated.

He noted that tea has been identified as one of the value chains for exports under the grow exports pillar.

“This in essence means that the government in collaboration with all the stakeholders is committed to ensure that tea productivity is not only enhanced but also sustained,” he said.

The fertiliser subsidy programme culminated in lowering the cost of the farm input from Sh6,500 to Sh3,500 and subsequently to Sh2,500 per 50-kilogramme bag.