Posted on February, 18, 2022 at 09:10 am
With two weeks to planting season, Agriculture CS Peter Munya is yet to respond to demands by farmers in Rift Valley for subsidised fertiliser
The fertiliser, especially DAP for planting, has an average retail price of Sh6,000 per 50kg bag.
Farmers are worried they will no be able to afford the fertiliser and farm inputs; the area under cultivation will decrease, as will production of maize and other crops.
Last year, fertiliser was selling for about Sh2,500 per bag. Moiben MP Silas Tiren said they are pushing the government to ensure money is set aside for subsidies. Tiren is chairman of the parliamentary committee on Agriculture.
“We are seriously following up the matter because we had even talked to the President who then tasked CS Munya to follow up with Treasury," Tiren told the Star on Thursday.
Director of the Kenya Farmers Association Kipkorir Menjo said many farmers, especially in the small-scale category, can't afford the high fertiliser prices and urgently need help.
“It’s only through subsidies the prices of fertiliser will be reduced to help farmers go back to their farms. Otherwise, there will be a drop in acreage under maize and consequently a drop in production," Menjo said.
Most farmers are expected to start planting within two weeks with the onset of rains in Rift Valley's breadbasket.
More than Sh10 billion will be required to implement the subsidies programme to benefit mostly small-scale producers.
The government had rolled out a pilot programme to introduce the E-fertiliser programme under which registered farmers get vouchers to buy subsidised fertiliser from distributors
Distributors are compensated by the state.
“We have also written to the CS to hasten to hasten the roll-out of the E-fertiliser programme and allocate funds for the subsidies ahead of the planting season," Menjo said.
Farmers fear prices will rise to more than Sh6,000.
The fertiliser supply chain had been disrupted by Covid-19, which interrupted delivery of some ingredients required by manufacturers.
China and Russia, which account for a third of the world’s fertiliser production, have also cut down on exports after they experienced a drop in food production.
“These challenges coupled with the fuel costs and shipping issues have completely affected supply of fertiliser in the local markets," Menjo said.
MPs in North Rift are also urging the government to subsidise fertiliser.
Soy MP Caleb Kositany and his Keiyo South counterpart Daniel Rono have warned that food production will decline due to high costs of farm inputs, especially fertiliser.
Source: The Star