Fertiliser: Punish middlemen taking advantage of farmers

Reports have emerged of unscrupulous traders using proxies to buy fertiliser from the National Cereals and Produce Board depots at a low price only to sell it to farmers at double the price.

The machinations of these traders have occasioned an acute shortage of the popular DAP (Di-ammonium Phosphate) from Government stores yet the same is readily available on the black market.

The unscrupulous traders have devised simple means of getting large quantities of DAP fertiliser by employing people who pose as small-scale farmers to purchase the fertiliser on their behalf.

Despite the measures put in place to control the purchase of fertiliser, the extent of corruption is such that these measures are easily circumvented.

There are county vetting officers at ward level in all the counties who work with area chiefs in determining the amount of fertiliser each farmer needs.

The farmers are required to go to cereals depots with application forms duly filled by chiefs recommending how many bags they need depending on the size of the land.

Upon verification, the forms are used to deposit money at the bank after which the farmers are given fertiliser against the bank slips.

With such measures in place, it is easy to conclude that some of these Government officials are party to the scheme. Chiefs are expected to know all the farmers in their areas and easily identify who genuinely requires the fertiliser for use on their individual land.

Unfortunately, this is not the case because those pretending to be farmers acquire the fertiliser on behalf of scheming businessmen who acquire a 50kg bag at Sh1800 only to sell it at Sh3,500. These black market deals are killing agriculture in areas that once acted as the food baskets of many counties.

It is hard for farmers to realise much yield when a component like fertiliser goes missing from Government stores, but is readily available at unlicensed stores that overcharge.

The country faces a shortage of grains which forced it to purchase some maize from Tanzania last year. In parts of Uasin Gishu, there was an outcry from farmers who, having spent too much to plant, were offered low prices.

A country that is not food-sufficient cannot hope to succeed in other endeavours since vast resources are spent on importing food at the expense of other deserving projects. For this reason, the Government must take steps to make sure that fertiliser is available to farmers when needed and at affordable prices.

 

Last year, Deputy President William Ruto said the Government was ready to subsidise fertiliser to help farmers boost their production.

These noble efforts will be defeated unless the depot clerks, businessmen and chiefs involved in the disappearance of fertiliser are apprehended and prosecuted.

Better controls in the supply and distribution of fertiliser are needed to protect the farmers.

The National Cereals and Produce Board should be allowed to set up centres at ward levels to save farmers the agony of travelling long distances in search of seed and fertiliser at the NCPB depots which are found mostly in big towns.