Ruto on major gains made in farming input, yields and export earnings
President William Ruto inspects a guard of honour mounted by the Kenya Defence Forces along Parliament Road, Nairobi ahead of the Sate of the Nation address on November 20, 2025.
Some 7.1 million farmers have been registered on the Kenya Integrated Agricultural Management Information System, up from 300,000 in 2022, as the government moves to distribute subsidised fertilizer to enhance crop production and attain food security.
President William Ruto disclosed that the move was aimed at locking out cartels in the distribution of the vital farm input and motivating farmers to increase crop productivity.
He disclosed that over 21 million bags of affordable fertiliser have been distributed, lowering the cost of production and saving farmers over Sh105 billion.
“This year alone, we delivered 7 million bags of fertiliser and 35 million kilos of certified seed and in 2026, we will distribute 12.5 million bags across all 1,450 wards, ensuring every farmer has access to affordable inputs,” said Dr Ruto.
He disclosed that the country targets to harvest 70 million bags of maize this season, up from 44 million bags in 2022 and 67 million bags in the 2024 season.
President William Ruto delivers the State of the Nation address at Parliament Buildings, Nairobi on November 20, 2025.
“The price of a 2 Kg packet of flour has fallen from Sh250 in 2022 to as low as Sh130 today. For millions of households, this is meaningful, daily relief,” said President Ruto while defending the increase in productivity in all agricultural sectors.
He said production in the tea sector has improved, with the earnings rising from Sh138 billion in 2022 to Sh215 billion in 2024, representing a growth of 56 percent.
President Ruto said the government has provided 50,000 coffee seedlings to farmers to help revive the sector that was on the brink of collapse.
He said earnings from the coffee sector have risen from an average of Sh70 per kilo to about Sh120-Sh150 per kilo, while exports have increased from 48,000 to 60,000 metric tons this year and is projected to hit 150 million in the next three years.
The acreage under edible oils has expanded by 90 per cent between 2022 and April 2025, reducing imports of the commodity by Sh17 million in the last one year. He said the imports are to be reduced by half by 2027 to save the country about Sh60 billion in foreign exchange.
President Ruto disclosed that cotton production has almost tripled, while cashew nut yield has increased following the distribution of 900,000 seedlings to improve production following the provision of one million seedlings.
He said the once-troubled sugar sector was stabilizing with acreage under cane increasing by 200,000 acres and production improving by 76 per cent to over 815,000 metric tonnes while the imports are down by 70 per cent.
The Head of State said the lease of Nzoia, Muhoroni, Sony and Chemelil factories to private sector operators was aimed at enhancing the efficiency of the sugar firms.
He said the leather exports were up by 56 per cent to generate Sh2.5 billion while supporting local shoe production, while meat exports have grown by 45 per cent, earning Sh 12.9 billion.
