Senators want fertiliser distributed at ward level
Workers arrange bags of Urea fertiliser after offloading them from train wagons at the National Cereals and Produce Board depot in Elburgon, Nakuru County, in late April.
Senators want the government to use agrovets or chiefs, and not the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) stores, in distributing subsidised fertiliser to farmers.
The lawmakers also want the subsidised fertiliser to be made available and accessible to farmers before the planting seasons.
According to the MPs, the use of regional NCPB stores is responsible for the shortages as farmers cannot access the input.
Embu Senator, Alexander Mundigi, said the Ministry of Agriculture should consider distributing the subsidised fertiliser to the ward level, chiefs’ offices or any other convenient location close to ordinary farmers.
Senate Majority Leader, Aaron Cheruiyot, said the time has come to ensure farmers do not have to travel long distances to get the subsidised fertiliser.
The Kericho senator added that the government can use the lowest structure of the devolved governments – wards – for safe storage of the fertiliser.
The government can also make use of agrovets as these are found in every town or shopping centre in Kenya, the lawmaker added.
“This will ensure farmers just walk to the shopping centres and easily access the fertiliser instead of travelling many kilometres away for the input,” Mr Cheruiyot said.
“Farmers in Kipkelion West sub-county, for instance, do not have to take a matatu to Kedowa NCPB stores to pick one or two bags of fertiliser. The government must find a way of ensuring the last mile of this programme is drawn up well.”
Senator Cheruiyot added that after the registration of the six million farmers and an increase of more than 200,000 hectares of land under cultivation under the programme, the last mile conversation needs to be given priority.
Mr Cheruiyot said chiefs and their assistants are best placed to identify every farmer in their regions as they know the size of land and what one grows.
Nandi Senator, Samson Cherargei, said the government needs to devolve the distribution to a level of ward or sub-county as that would ease access to the subsidised fertiliser.
He added that farmers in Nandi have also requested that the subsidised fertiliser to be made available to them around November or December.
“We should not limit subsidised fertiliser to maize production. Farmers want it included for coffee, sugarcane, tea and other crops,” Mr Cherargei said.
“It is encouraging to note that the government has set aside more than Sh5 billion for subsidised fertiliser in this coming planting season for the financial year ending June 2024.”
Laikipia Senator, John Kinyua, said it does not make sense to have the fertilisers distributed from NCPB stores, which are situated in towns, instead of at the grassroots.
He said farmers in Laikipia County have to travel to Nanyuki and Nyahururu, though those in dire need of the input are in Rumuruti, Ol Moran, Sipili, Matanya, Weumeririe and many other rural areas.
“I support the call to have the fertiliser taken to the grassroots where farmers are,” Senator Kinyua said.
