First consignment of KTDA fertilizer to arrive on Friday

A worker picks tea at a plantation photo:courtesy

The first consignment of 88,000 metric tonnes of fertiliser for small-scale tea farmers is expected at the port of Mombasa at the end of this week.

The ship, carrying 44,000 tonnes of fertiliser procured by the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) Management Services, will dock at the port on July 14. The second one arrives on August 5.

Agency Chairman Peter Kanyago said the fertiliser was expected to boost production after six months of poor yields due to the drought experienced in tea-growing areas.

The KTDA runs a fertiliser import scheme for its over 560,000 smallholder growers, enabling them to buy the input at competitive prices. In 2016, tea farmers paid an average of Sh1, 492 for a 50kg bag of NPK fertiliser.

"Farmers are able to pay for the product through easy monthly payments deducted from their green leaf deliveries to their factories," said Mr Kanyago.

Corporate Affairs Manager Egadwa Mudoga said KTDA was currently testing soils and tea leaves in conjunction with International Finance Corporation to formulate appropriate product blends that would help farmers increase their yields and income.