Distribution of subsidized fertilizers to farmers across the country is going on smoothly, Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi has said.
Speaking during a visit to the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) depot in Eldoret on March 24, 2023, CS Linturi noted that there has been few complaints in regards to the program.
He however assured farmers of their commitment to enhance the program for the benefit of all.
The government has been providing farmers with fertilizer at a subsidied price of Ksh3,500 per 90 kilogram bag.
According to the CS, so far, at least 670,000bags of the fertilizer have been supplied to the North Rift – the country’s food basket.
“We would wish to bring even more so that all the farmers needs are completely catered for,” Linturi told Journalists at the NCPB deport.
Farmers registration
For a farmer to be able to purchase the subsidized fertilizer, the government has been registering each one of them.
After registration, their details – including area and acrage are captuted at the national data centre after which a message on the number of bags one can purchage is electornicaly generated and sent to the farmers mobile phone.
But some farmers have complaint of not receiving the message, an issue the Agriculture CS blames on data not correctly captured at the registration level.
“Those who have not yet received message for fertilizer, they can confirm with area chief to ensure their data were well captured. Alternatively they can call our data centre in Nairobi,” Linturi said.
He has however asked farmers who have not yet registered to do so. He noted that data being collected from farmers will help the government in planning for not only fertilizer subsidy program but many other initiatives.
Soil acidity
Among the initiatives in the pipeline is addressing high soil acidity.
According to the Agriculture CS, the government plans to add lime to all farms with high soil acidity across the country.
“To make this program successful, we have to know acreage under farming and the amount of lime needed,” Linturi said.
He further affirmed the Kenya Kwanza government’s commitment to supporting farmers produce sufficient food for the country.
The CS said, this was the only way out to addressing the high cost of living – contributed by the high cost of maize flour.
