The Ministry of Agriculture says there is historical high demand of subsidized fertilizer by crop farmers registered on the Kenya Integrated Agricultural Management Information System (KIAMIS) for the long rain season.
The Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe-led Ministry says it is happy with this development, insisting that this will translate to a bumper harvest which will boost food security in the country, and in turn reducing the need to import.
“We are keen to note that the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) stores have been full from December,2024 and already 2.6 million bags have been distributed for planting for the long rain season. The high demand works in our favor, since it now creates space in our depots and swiftly suppliers have been instructed to resume deliveries and effective by next week stores will be fully replenished,” CS Kagwe says in a statement to newsrooms.
The Ministry notes that for the last two days, farmers who visited NCPB depots could not redeem their e-voucher messages to access subsidized fertilizer because of the logistical challenges to avail the farm input. Despite the setback, the issuance remained stable all along.
Consequently, the Ministry is assuring farmers that all the logistical challenges have been addressed and that as from Monday 24th,March, 2025 “we expect the issuance of over 1 million bags of fertilizer to stabilize and match the high demand.”
To fast rack delivery, the Ministry is now using train wagons which have already departed the Mombasa Port and are set to arrive at the Naivasha Inland Port by Sunday morning. Further to boost supplies, the Ministry says an additional 1,380 metric tons are enroute to the Mombasa Port.
“The spirit by our farmers should remain high by coming out in numbers to redeem their e-voucher messages occasioned by the onset of the rains which could have caused panic among those who would not want to be late to plant their crops,” CS Kagwe urges farmers.
He added: “I assure farmers that we are working overnight to ensure they will all plant within the recommended time because the supply of fertilizer is sufficient. In addition, we have agreed with contracted suppliers through the NCPB to increase supply of the farm input. We would be happy to keep addressing any kind of concerns which are valid and interventions will be in place to address the issues as they arise.”
Kagwe is also urging farmers to beware of criminals taking advantage of the high demand of the farm input by illegally selling fake or substandard fertilizer. “Farmers are encouraged to only purchase fertilizers from registered distributors and NCPB.”
Efforts have been put in place by Anti Counterfeit Authority to crackdown individuals who sell fake or substandard farm inputs to farmers.
