As farmers usher in the planting season this year, it has been revealed that subsidized fertilizer that the government has allocated for the North Rift region is not sufficient to cater for the farmers' demands.
While responding to concerns from farmers over the manner in which the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) has been selling the fertilizers, NCPB North Rift regional manager Daniel Kodonyo said: “we are trying to ensure every farmer shares what has been allocated to us.”
Farmers mainly large scale had complained that they were being unfairly sidelined in the purchase of the government fertilizer.
“Why is it that when we give an order of 300 bags we're only allowed to purchase only half or even less? Are we not farmers who should also benefit from this subsidy,” asked one of the large-scale farmers from Moiben during a meeting with NCPB officials on Wednesday.
“We have been allocated only 582,000 bags for all the farmers in this region which we are trying as much as possible to share amongst each one of you keeping in mind that we needed at least 1.4 million bags to satisfy the demand,” responded Kodonyo.
With the planting season beginning in earnest, the farmers demanded that more allocation is made to ensure each one of them accesses the subsidized fertilizer which is being sold at Sh1,500 for a 50-kg-bag.
“This is the region that feeds the whole nation and we deserve to be facilitated with sufficient farm inputs unless the government is not serious when it speaks of wanting the country to be food secure,” noted Kiporir Menjo, the Uasin Gishu Kenya Farmers Association (KFA) director.