Good news for farmers as State imports 1.5 million bags of fertiliser

NAIROBI: The Kenya National Trading Corporation (KNTC) has inked a deal to ensure availability of fertiliser to farmers ahead of the planting season.

The State agency entered a pact with Masoko Agro Products to ensure distribution of affordable imported fertiliser to farmers throughout the country.

Officials from KNTC and Masoko witnessed the offloading of 69,000 bags of CAN fertiliser from Mv Matsushima Bay at the port of Mombasa. A total of 1.5 million bags is set to be imported and distributed under the deal this year. The officials promised farmers the availability of affordable quality fertilisers this year owing to increased competition in the market.

KNTC is wholly owned by the Government through the Ministry of East African Affairs, Commerce and Tourism and Industrial and Commercial Development Corporation (ICDC).

"The increased importation of fertilisers in the country is good for farmers because increased supplies and competition will raise quality and drive down prices of the commodity," said KNTC Chairman Peter Kinya.

He was flanked by Masoko Agro Products Managing Director Anthony Kariuki during the visit to the ship. The port was Thursday a beehive of activities as workers loaded trucks lining up to transport the bagged fertiliser upcountry.

Kinya said the consignment imported from Turkey will reach the KNTC warehouses in Mombasa, Nairobi, Eldoret, Nakuru, Nyeri and Kitale, among other areas, in the next few days ahead of the planting season. Mr Kariuki said Masoko would source and import a total of 1.5 million bags of fertiliser in the country aimed at improving productivity.

Kariuki said the firm will bring in four more fertiliser-laden vessels this year which will help bring down prices of the commodity and raise farm production. "We are going to source and import more fertiliser this year. We expect four more ships to dock at the port. KNTC will be distributing the commodity to the farmers," Kariuki said.

According to him, the next imports will include other types of fertilisers such as NPR, DAP and Urea. Last year, the Government announced that a 50 kilogramme bag of DAP fertiliser will retail at Sh2,000 down from Sh2,480, NPR fertiliser at Sh2,000, down from Sh2,300, CAN at Sh1,500 instead of Sh1,600 while a 50 kilogramme bag of Urea fertiliser will be sold at Sh1,500 instead of Sh1,800.

Farmers particularly in the grain basket area of Rift Valley have been complaining of late importation of fertilisers and high cost of the commodity. Other major fertiliser importers include the National Cereals and Produce Board and Kenya Tea Development Agency.