- Timothy Njagi, a senior researcher at Tegemeo Institute said the delay will affect production
- The subsidised fertiliser programme was launched in 2022 to boot farm productivity and stabilise food prices
Image: X
The government will next week start distribution of subsidised fertiliser to farmers in North Rift and Central regions.
Agriculture Principal Secretary Paul Rono said two million bags of fertiliser will be distributed.
“Each region will get one million bags of the commodity, which is fit for all crops. Farmers can get the fertiliser from the National Cereals and Produce Bard stores," he said.
Rono, who spoke to the Star, said the shortage of the Sh2,500 per 50kg bag of fertiliser experienced in the past two weeks has been resolved.
Last week, farmers from North Rift expressed concern over distribution delays.
They said they were forced to buy the fertiliser from agro dealers at Sh5,500 and Sh6,000 in order to plant in time.
"The planting season has started and we are working to ensure the subsidised fertiliser serves farmers well. We will be on the ground to monitor distribution to ensure it gets to the farmers in time," Rono said.
Soy MP David Kiplagat on Friday last week urged the Ministry of Agriculture to move with speed and streamline distribution of the subsided fertiliser.
Timothy Njagi, a senior researcher at Tegemeo Institute said the delay will affect production.
“Getting the commodity from agrovets is not only expensive but may limit the quantity of fertiliser that farmers will use, hence low production," he said.
"The other challenge is that if farmers wait until when NCPB gets enough stock, they will plant late.”
The subsidised fertiliser programme was launched in 2022 to boot farm productivity and stabilise food prices.
The initiative came at a time when prices of food commodities and inputs had skyrocketed.
A nationwide registration of farmers to efficiently deliver the subsidised fertiliser was also conducted.
Registered farmers use an e-voucher system to ensure traceability and full accountability of the farm input.
On March 9, at the Eldoret Agricultural Show, Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi said more than 100 trucks carrying fertilisers, had reached Eldoret and Kitale NCPB depots.
He apologised for the delay adding that the government was committed to supporting farmers to increase production.
The subsidy programme seeks to support more than four million farmers who have been registered under the ongoing government registration exercise.
Last year, the Ministry of Agriculture set up a 24-hour call centre at Kilimo House to address issues raised by farmers.
The call centre was also to assist agricultural producers whose details had not been captured properly during the registration exercise last year.