Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua flagged off a consignment of 426, 000 bags of subsidised fertiliser, coming 11 days after his government directed the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) to make available the products to farmers.
The fertilisers have been channeled to South Rift, Northern, Nairobi, Eastern and Coast Region that will be experiencing short rains in the month of October and December.
“To set the pace for the implementation of the fertilizer subsidy programme, the national treasury has already availed Ksh.3.55 billion,” said the Deputy President.
The bags are part of 1.4 million which President William Ruto promised farmers during his inaugural speech on September 13.
The DP move also comes two days after the National Treasury made available Ksh.3.55 billion for fertilizer subsidy program for the 71,000 Metric tonnes of fertilizer.
A bag of 50Kg of Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) will cost a farmer Ksh.3500, Calcium Ammonium Nitrate (CAN) Ksh.2,875 and a 50Kg bag of UREA will go for Ksh.3,500.
A 50 Kg bag of NPK, MOP and Sulphate of Ammonia will cost a farmer Ksh.3,275, Ksh.1,775 and Ksh.2,220 respectively.
The agricultural sector plays as the backbone of the economy, contributing approximately 33 percent of Kenya’s GDP and employs more than 40 percent of the total population and 70 percent of the rural population.
The value added by the agriculture sector to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the country hit Ksh.27.4 billion in the year 2021, a 12 percent uptick compared to the previous year.
The DP said his Kenya Kwanza administration will bank on increased agricultural production to deal with high cost of food in the country.
“The prevailing drought in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) has worsened the food situation in those regions. This food and nutritional concern is of concern, with our annual production for major food crops notably maize, beans, wheat and rice falling way short of our national demand and consumption, pointing to reliance in food imports,” said Gachagua.
