The county government of Nakuru has opened more stores to avail subsidized fertilizer closer to farmers to cut cost on transportation costs and time wasted on long queues at picking points.
The County Executive Committee Member (CECM) Leornard Bor said the Department of Agriculture has operationalized seven more stores in Tinet, Kabazi, Keringet, Kiptororo, Subukia, Kiambogo, and Rongai wards. He was speaking today at the Rongai Social Hall during the offloading of 1140 bags of fertilizer.
He noted that the satellite stores have been established to supplement the existing six National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) depots in the distribution process of fertilizer to farmers as they prepare for planting next month when the long rains are anticipated.
The national government through the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) has been designed to address the current challenges facing the country’s economy and food security has been given special emphasis because the cost of imports is too high.
The national government aims to support small-scale farmers through subsidized fertilizers and reduce the cost of food importation by US & 200 million from the current US $ 500 million.
Since the 1960s when most African countries gained their independence food insecurity has been a major bane, and in 2003, the heads of states realized the importance of increasing their spending in agriculture to eradicate hunger and poverty across the continent.
This encouraged them to make a political commitment under the Maputo Declaration to allocate at least 10 percent of their national budget to food and agriculture, under the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Program (CAADP).
Bor said the currently subsidized fertilizer was a clear commitment by the government to escalate and heighten more resources toward food production to achieve the Maputo declaration.
Also, he commended the residents of the Rongai sub-county for their bumper harvest of beans and maize last year, adding that the subsidized fertilizer played a significant role in the increased harvests of various crops including potatoes across the county.
However, he urged the farmers to ensure access to certified seeds from government-authorized sellers and report any fake seeds they might come across near their areas.
By Veronica Bosibori
