Prepare for bumper harvest, CS Kagwe tells NCPB as farmers scramble for fertilizer

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has said the government expects a bumper harvest from the current planting season after farmers took up more fertilizers compared to the previous season.

According to Kagwe, there has been an unprecedented high demand for fertilisers, with 180,000 bags of the farm input ordered daily.

“This surge in demand has been driven by increased awareness of the fertilizer subsidy program, with over 5.9 million crop farmers now registered on the Kenya Integrated Agricultural Management Information System (KIAMIS),” said CS Kagwe in a statement.

He said his ministry has noted a trend where farmers who had previously benefited from the fertilizer subsidy program are doubling the amounts they took in the last season, further making the commodity scarce.

Some farmers have recently reported being unable to get the fertilizers in the amounts they need after some National Cereal and Produce Board (NCPB) stores opted to ration the commodity for every farmer to get a piece of the pie.

Kagwe, while acknowledging the challenge farmers face at NCPB stores nationwide, said it is a ‘happier problem to face’ adding that more bags will be available soon.

“The government has mobilised over 200 trucks currently en route to various NCPB stores to replenish supplies. Additional metric tonnes of fertilizer are in transit via sea to ensure continued availability,” he said.

Kagwe said the high uptake of fertiliser, coupled with favourable weather, may lead to higher yields that will adequately feed Kenyans while saving the economy money spent on food imports.

He directed NCPB to ensure its stores are fit for purpose ahead of the harvest to reduce post-harvest losses that usually take away the farmers’ hard work.

Meanwhile, farmers have been advised to use Aflasafe on their farms to protect grains from the poisonous aflatoxin.

“Farmers are also encouraged to take advantage of Aflasafe, a product used to control aflatoxin contamination in crops such as maize and groundnut,” said Kagwe.