Farmers in Nyandarua County have expressed optimism after Tuesday’s directive by President Dr. William Ruto that the prices of fertilizer be lowered.
Speaking after being sworn in as the fifth president of Kenya, Dr. Ruto promised that the fertilizer will be retailing at Sh3500 down from Sh6500.
“Our priority intervention is to make fertilizer, good quality seeds and other agricultural inputs affordable and available. We have already made arrangements to make 1.4 million bags of fertilizer available at Sh3500 for a 50 kg bag,” said the President.
Speaking to KNA, Peter Magondu a farmer and a farm inputs seller said the move by the president will see more Nyandarua farmers produce food in large quantities unlike previously as they were unable to buy the required inputs.
“My farm inputs business had gone low because many farmers had ditched farming due to the high cost of the inputs, but I am now hopeful it will pick up owing to the lowered prices of fertilizers,” he said, adding the prices of other farm inputs are also expected to be lowered.
Mary Wairimu, another farmer based in Ndaragwa welcomed the move promising to get back to farming.
Wairimu said she had abandoned farming for business because of exorbitant prices of fertilizer and other farm inputs.
“I used to plant cabbages and capsicum, but I stopped in the last one year because fertilizer and seeds were very expensive. With the new directive, I am hoping to resume farming early next year,” she said.
Nyandarua is one of the most agriculturally productive counties in the country and is mainly known for potatoes, maize and milk production.
By Wambui Wangui
