The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, and Co-operatives has announced new subsidized fertilizer prices following the government’s Sh3.5 billion fertilizer subsidy.
This is in response to President William Ruto’s directive for the ministry to provide 1.4 million bags of fertilizer to farmers at a subsidized price of up to Sh3,500 per 50Kg bag, down from the current price of Sh6,500, in order to combat the high costs that farmers face.
Farmers in regions experiencing short rains will be the first to benefit from the new fertilizer prices, that will come into effect on September 19.
“To actualize the Presidential directive, the subsidized fertilizer programme will start with counties undertaking planting during the short rains season of 2022. The Government has availed the funds to subsidize 71,000 Mt of fertilizer for growing food crops during the short rains season,” said Francis Owino, Ag. Principal Secretary State Department for Crop Development & Agri. Research.
Fertilizer access has been a major threat to farmers, with price increases caused by global phenomena such as the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Fertilizer prices have recently risen to the point where they affect both small and large-scale farmers, threatening food and nutrition security in the country and having a knock-on effect on agricultural production.
The applicable subsidized fertilizer prices will range from Sh1,775 to Sh3,500 per 50Kg bag of fertilizer.
A farmer will pay Sh3500 for a bag of 50Kg Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP), Sh2,875 for a bag of Calcium Ammonium Nitrate (CAN), and Sh3,500 for a bag of UREA.
Furthermore, a farmer will pay Sh3,275, Sh1,775 and Sh2,220 for a 50 Kg bag of NPK, MOP, and Sulphate of Ammonia, respectively.
However, farmers can only purchase up to 100 bags of fertilizer in 50kg bags from National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) depots and sub-depots across the country.
“The Ministry appeals to farmers requiring fertilizers in the short rains dependent areas to visit the nearest NCPD depot or sub-depot to access subsidized fertilizer,” said Owino.
