Govt to distribute 2.5 million bags of subsidised fertiliser

Agriculture Principal Secretary (PS) Dr. Kipronoh Ronoh said the fertiliser 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 fertiliser ahead of the short rainy planting season.The PS said this will bring a total of 8.5 million bags of subsidised fertiliser distributed this year, adding that the programme has registered tremendous success.To ensure that fertiliser 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 fertiliser, 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,' he said.The government, he added, has put in place stringent measures to ensure that only the specified fertiliser and seeds get to farmers through the various channels.Speaking during the Kisumu Regional Agricultural Society of Kenya (ASK) show, the PS lauded the fertiliser subsidy programme, saying that through the intervention, agricultural productivity has increased.During the 2023 crop production seasons, a total of 60.2 million bags (90 kg) of maize, 7.14 million bags (90 kg) of beans, 4.89 million bags (90 kg) 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 million 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 mini stry 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 fertiliser.Source: Kenya News Agency