Farmers to Buy Cheaper Fertilizer This Week

Farmers will begin purchasing subsidized fertilizer this week as the government starts distributing it to various counties throughout the nation with the arrival of the first batch of imported goods.

The first consignment of fertilizer was distributed to important maize-growing counties including Uasin Gishu and Trans-Nzoia ahead of the March planting season.

In preparation for planting, at least 10,000 tonnes of the product have been transported from the Port of Mombasa to the upcountry, according to Agriculture Principal Secretary Harsama Kello.

“We have so far moved assorted planting fertilizer to Bomet, Narok, Uasin Gishu, and Trans-Nzoia and we shall be distributing more to the rest of the counties as it continues to arrive in Mombasa,” said Mr. Kello.

In an effort to reduce the production costs that farmers faced last year when the price of the commodity reached a high of Sh6,000 per 50-kilogram bag, the government plans to deliver over three million bags of inexpensive fertilizer to farmers ahead of the planting season.

A 50-kg bag of planting fertilizer will now cost farmers Sh3,500, or around half of what they would have paid on the open market.

Farmers will have access to subsidized fertilizer for the first time in four years after the program was discontinued in 2019, mostly due to corruption.

The government announced that it will distribute fertilizer via an electronic platform where farmers will be forced to register with particular agro veterinarians in order to reduce corruption instances.

Late last year, President William Ruto ordered the Ministry of Agriculture to develop a digital strategy that would allow farmers to purchase fertilizer via money transfer on their e-wallets rather than paying for it at NCPB depots.

The e-wallet program aims to reduce fertilizer theft and misappropriation, which was prevalent in the past when farmers would obtain the goods directly from NCPB warehouses.

Following that, farmers will pick up fertilizer from the closest agro-veterinarians that are registered with this scheme.

The e-voucher scheme was launched by the government in 2020 during a pilot period, although it was only intended for small-scale farmers in a few counties who got funds via their mobile phones to buy farm inputs from authorized agro veterinarians.