The government has assured farmers of sufficient fertilizer as the long rain continues amid concerns by farmers that the stocked fertilizers at the cereal boards could not meet the demand.
National Fertilizer Technical Committee Chairman Haron Khator says at least 1 million bags of fertilizer have been released from the Mombasa port for onwards upcountry delivery even as the government ordered importation of an additional 1.5 million metric tonnes.
Khator who is also the Administration Secretary, State Department for Agriculture, spoke when he conducted the inspection of the Thika National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) stores in Kiambu County.
Khator said capping the number of bags of subsidized fertilizer that a farmer should purchase at the cereals board helps in streamlining distribution and weeding out cartels who might buy many bags to sell at higher prices.
“Limiting the number of bags to purchase at the cereal board is not an indicator of shortage of fertilizer but rather to streamline distribution. We have adequate stocks to push us to the next planting season,” assured Khator.
He the same time acknowledged challenges of slow pace of releasing the fertilizer to the farmers attributing it to the huge demand by farmers.
To mitigate the situation, he said they have employed more staff on casual basis at the NCPB distribution centres to help in releasing the fertilizer to farmers.
“We know farmers have highlighted concerns about slow pace of distribution of this fertilizer but sometimes the NCPB staff get overwhelmed by the large turnout of farmers waiting to get the fertilizer. We have increased the manpower, and we hope this will be addressed,” he said.
He said they are also working with other agencies to ensure no fake fertilizer is reported in the market.
Khator advised farmers not to panic if they come across fertilizer of different colours from the ones they have been used to, saying through research, new fertilizer of different blends is being manufactured.
“The tests and analysis on the fertilizer are thorough to ensure we have high-quality fertilizer released to the farmers. We also ask the farmers to report any incident they come across of fake fertilizer. Don’t panic when you come across fertilizer of different colours from those you are used to. We have new brands blended for various crops and functions,” he explained.
The farmers, led by Patrick Njui while appreciating the affordable fertilizer selling at Sh2,500 for 50-kilogram bag from government stores, said they have been waiting for weeks to receive their share.
Many also complained that they were getting fewer bags of the commodity than their expectations.
They hoped the incentive by the government would boost their farming fortunes, saying since the introduction of the subsidized fertilizer, they have been getting higher yields.
“We ask NCPB to ensure the process is fast. We have camped here for days seeking to access the fertilizer to no avail. These delays have affected our planting preparation, and we ask the process to be well streamlined in coming planting seasons,” Njui said.
By Muoki Charles
