Mombasa Receives First Shipment of KTDA Fertilizer

At the beginning of this week, Mombasa received the first shipment of 956,000 50 kilogram bags of fertilizer from the Kenya Tea Development Agency Management Services (KTDA MS).

One of the 1,854,740 bags of NPK 26:5:5 compound fertilizer the agency will give farmers to use on their farms for the upcoming season includes the fertilizer that was purchased from Russia.

According to a statement issued by the agency management yesterday, a ship carrying fertilizer landed at the Port of Mombasa yesterday with a cargo of 47,800 metric tons. The second ship, carrying the remaining cargo, is scheduled to arrive in November.

For the years 2023 and 2024, the KTDA MS has imported 1, 854,740 bags (92,737 metric tonnes) of fertilizer for distribution to smallholder tea farmers.

“The fertilizer will be bagged at port for onward distribution to farmers via SGR to Nairobi and further to factories. This arrangement allows smooth and efficient delivery to farmers up to the closest tea buying centres. Farmers do not incur extra cost transporting the fertilizer from the factory stores,” KTDA said.

Rising natural gas prices, a crucial ingredient in the production of NPK chemically compounded fertilizer, unfavorable exchange rates, worldwide supply shortages, high crude oil prices, and the cost of shipping are only a few of the variables that have had a detrimental impact on fertilizer prices.

The final price of a 50kg bag of fertilizer, according to agency management, will be established once clearing and transport expenses to the various tea factories around the nation have been taken into account, along with the prices of marine and overland insurance.

However, compared to the government-subsidized fertilizer, which is now sold for Sh2,500, private sector pricing are still exorbitant.

Application of fertiliser on tea bushes at the onset of short rains is necessary to ensure consistent high quality and quantity of green leaf.

KTDA procures fertilizer in bulk for more than 650,000 small scale tea farmers, who are the shareholders of its managed factories, through competitive international bidding.