Samples of subsidised fertilizer. [photo/allafrica.com/fertilizer]Maize and wheat farmers in South and North Rift want the government to avail subsidized fertilizers in time for planting. They said yesterday that delays in availing it would lead to delayed planting and compromised yields.
They also warned against importing substandard input, saying last year most farmers posted dismal harvests because of substandard subsidized Di-Ammonium Phosphate (SAP).
“The Agriculture ministry should ensure that fertilizers dock at the port of Mombasa in time for them to be delivered upcountry before the end of next month,” said Narok Farmers Association secretary Erisha Kuluo.
He said the government should keep its word by ensuring a 50 kg bag sells at Sh1,500. “It promised to sell a bag at that price.
It should ensure that only National Cereals and Produce Board and Kenya Farmers Association sell them. Entry of middlemen will lead to hoarding which they will later sell for astronomical profits,” he said.
Seedbed preparations in South Rift are underway while in the North the activity will start from mid next month. Kuluo also said Kenya Seed Company Ltd should avail diseases resistant seeds, lamenting that the prevalence of Maize Leaf Necrosis Disease (MLND) has affected yields.
“For seven successive years, farmers have incurred heavy losses because of MLND. Use of certified seeds is the sure way to beat it,” he said