17,000 Farmers Register For Subsidized Fertilizer

About 17,000 farmers in Kirinyaga county have registered to receive subsidized fertilizer in anticipation of improved production as the planting season nears.

The farmers are in the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) database, with the numbers expected to rise as registration continues.

To access the subsidized fertilizer, farmers were urged to register at their respective sub-county agriculture offices, with the activity still underway. Farmers must show they own land, its size, and the bags they need.

The farmers thanked president William Ruto for fulfilling his promise of reducing the cost of the commodity to boost food production, saying smallholder farmers are pivotal in stimulating economic growth at the grassroots.

While commissioning the first consignment of subsidized fertilizer to various counties last month, deputy president Rigathi Gachagua urged farmers to cooperate in the registration process to access the commodity, in a move meant to increase food production amid projections of depressed rains.

“I appeal to farmers in the regions that are receiving short rains to reach out to local National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) Depots and Sub-Depots to access the required fertilizer.”

“We are privy to all fertilizer requirements for the long rains season 2023, the government has commenced consultations with key actors and stakeholders to ensure quality affordably, and accessible fertilizer that will be available to all farmers across the nation,’ said Gachagua.

The Dp said that each farmer will be entitled to 100 bags (50kg) in a move that will see around 1.4 million acres of land cultivated.

Kenya requires about 650,000 tonnes of fertilizer annually for enhanced production. The high cost of farm inputs and depressed rains witnessed in the last seasons have seen farmers harvest little from their farms. Some farmers said they were forced to plant with insufficient fertilizer, a move that will highly impact production later in the year.

Farmers are hopeful for improved production in the next planting season if the rains will be fairly distributed.