NCPB to distribute subsidised fertiliser by this week

As the planting season begins in most regions, the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) has announced it will distribute a million bags of fertiliser to farmers before end of the week.

Agriculture Principal Secretary Hamadi Boga said 635,000 bags of the farm input were bought under Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO) while 400,000 bags were carry-over stocks from previous imports.

Prof Boga said the Sh2 billion fertiliser ordered by the State recently might not arrive on time. The fertiliser will be sold at Sh1,800 for a 50 kilo of Diammonium Phosphate (DAP), which is used for planting, with other brands such as NPK going at Sh1,700 for the same quantity. 

The NCPB Managing Director Albin Sang on Thursday confirmed the fertiliser had been distributed to their depots and now they were only waiting for guidelines to from the Ministry on next course of action.

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Maize farmers have been forced to buy commercial fertiliser at Sh3,200 per 50kg bag after the government failed to release money for the subsidised commodity. Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri recently said Treasury was to blame for lack of cheap fertiliser this year. 

Appearing before National Assembly Agriculture Committee, Mr Kiunjuri said his Ministry had requested for additional Sh3.68 billion for procurement of the same but Treasury was yet to provide the funds.

He told the committee chaired by Mandera West MP Adan Haji that they wanted to import at least 2.7 million 50kg bags of the farm input.