The Ministry of Agriculture yesterday sought to calm the raging storm over the quality of low-cost fertiliser that is being distributed to farmers countrywide under a government subsidy programme.
Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi’s announcement that the State will provide soil-specific fertiliser to farmers came amid rising concerns over the effectiveness of the government-issue NPK 23:23 fertiliser.
Citing soil quality as a contributing factor, Mr Linturi further announced a liming (treatment of soil or water with lime to reduce acidity) programme to improve soil fertility.
“Because of the use of certain fertilisers for quite some time, there is a possibility of soil degradation. Last Tuesday, I tabled before the Cabinet a paper on how to maintain soil health and it was approved,” he said during a tour of National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) stores in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County.
He explained that the ministry has ordered more fertiliser “with 50 per cent organic and 50 per cent chemical [composition] to address this [lack of effectiveness of the fertiliser].”
He disclosed plans by the government to digitise agricultural services to ensure “all issues raised by farmers can be addressed in real-time.”
On the ongoing fertiliser subsidy, the CS said over 670,000 bags have been dispatched to government stores countrywide and efforts were ongoing to register all farmers to the scheme.
Farmers have claimed that the low-cost fertiliser, distributed through the NCPB and Kenya National Trading Corporation (KNTC), lack crucial nutrients, forcing them to blend it with other fertilisers, thereby pushing up production costs. According to Mr Kimutai Kolum, a large-scale farmer in Uasin Gishu County, one must apply two bags of the blended NPK 23:23 per acre, unlike with DAP, where one bag is sufficient for one or one-and-a-half acres, rendering the subsidy programme more expensive in the long run.
The NPK 23:23 fertiliser goes for Sh3,500, Yara Sh4,050 while DAP and other brands are retailing at Sh5,600 per 50kg bag.
Experts have agreed with the farmers, saying, the NPK 23:23 fertiliser has lower nutrient content compared to crop-specific brands. According to Tegemeo Institute’s Dr Timothy Njagi, NPK 23:23 has less nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
“Because of the lower nutrients, farmers have to apply an extra bag to achieve higher fertility,” said Dr Njagi, while advising that liming was necessary.
“Fertiliser like DAP is not that bad. What farmers need to know is how to apply. For instance, they need to apply DAP together with lime, which is a by-product of cement,” he said.
“We also need to support innovations. There are people who have developed lime spreaders which are less expensive compared to imported granulated lime fertilisers, ” he said.
