NAIROBI, July 28 (NNN-KBC) — The Kenyan government has procured 2.5 million bags of subsidized fertilizer for distribution to farmers during the short rains season.
Agriculture Principal Secretary (PS) Dr. Kipronoh Ronoh said the fertilizer was already in National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) stores adding that the ministry was in the process of issuing E-Vouchers to farmers to secure the fertilizer ahead of the short rains planting season.
He said this will bring to a total of 8.5 million bags of subsidized fertilizer distributed this year adding that the program has registered tremendous success.
To ensure that the fertilizer gets to farmers on time, he said, the government was in the process of engaging agro dealers to expand the coverage.
The initiative, he said will see farmers across the country collect government subsidised fertilizer, seeds and pesticides at an agro dealer next to them reducing the time wasted going for the commodity at the nearby NCPB stores.
“We have instructed the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) to ensure that all the agro dealers have the right professionals in place before we roll out this initiative,” Ronoh said during the Kisumu Regional Agricultural Society of Kenya (ASK) show.
The government, he added, has put in place stringent measures to ensure that only the specified fertilizer and seeds get to farmers through the various channels.
The PS lauded the fertilizer subsidy program saying through the intervention agricultural productivity has increased. During the 2023 crop production seasons a total of 60.2 million bags (90kgs) of maize, 7.14 million bags (90kg) beans and 4.89 million bags (90kg) of wheat and 189,024 metric tonnes of rice were produced.
This, he said, has seen food insecurity decrease from 2.7 million in July 2023 to 1.9 in June 2024. The improved production, he said, is expected to be sustained this year with the country expecting bumper maize harvests.
“We are advising farmers to build more storage facilities because we expect to have a bumper harvest. The NCPB is also prepared and will purchase the maize from our farmers at an agreed price,” he said.
The ministry of agriculture has registered 6.42 million farmers up from 1.3 million in 2022 urging all farmers to ensure they are in the database to benefit from the available services including subsidised fertilizer. — NNN-KBC