The Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe on Thursday March 13, 2025 ordered for the destruction of 27,518 bags of an expired consignment of fertilizer held in various National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) stores across the country.
In a statement on Thursday, the CS noted that Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) is to supervise the safe destruction of the consignment of Sulphate of Ammonia (21%) fertilizer that was delivered to NCPB by Fine Tech Edge Ltd between 27th December 2024 and the 6th January 2025.
Prior to contract execution, samples of the fertilizer were drawn by the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) for testing and the results indicated that the fertilizer complied with the requirement for Sulphate of Ammonia (21%N) and NPK fertilizers as per Kenyan standards.
The consignment delivered to NCPB after a greenlight from KEBS was a total of 34,100 bags (50kg).
However, upon supply, NCPB noted the short shelf-life, which was to lapse on February 28th, 2025, as indicated in the packaging material.
The supplier was notified of the same and requested to deliver fertilizer with a longer shelf life, as the entire consignment was unlikely to be sold by the end of February.
“Per standard operating procedures, the unsold fertilizer would not be released to the market and would be safely destroyed,” stated Mutahi Kagwe.
Meanwhile, the NCPB management issued a sale stoppage order of the same consignment on 27th February 2025.
Further, KEBS seized the fertilizer on March 4, 2025 and has stopped any movement of the same until safe destruction.
According to Kagwe, the supply of the fertilizer is on a consignment basis, and the ownership vests with the supplier until when sold, this means that FineTech Edge Ltd will bear the costs, and loss.
At the same time, CS Kagwe reiterated that the government is committed to ensuring that Kenyan farmers access the highest quality of farm inputs.
He also urged players in the agricultural and livestock sectors to take-up insurance to mitigate such losses.
