Govt Increases Number Of Fertilizer Bags Farmers Can Buy Under The Subsidy Scheme

The government through the Ministry of Agriculture has increased the number of bags a farmer can buy under the subsidy programme.

Agriculture CS Peter Munya recently announced that maize farmers can purchase up to 40 bags of 50-killogramme bags.

Previously, farmers were only allowed to buy 20 bags of fertilizer under the subsidy scheme.

“We have increased the number of bags from 20 to 40 so that farmers can benefit from this subsidy scheme,” CS Munya told Business Daily.

At the same time, National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) confirmed that they had received official communication from the ministry to increase fertilizer allocation to farmers.

Notably, the fertilizer is available for registered farmers only.

In April, the government unveiled a KSh 5.7 billion fertilizer subsidy fund to subsidise prices for 2.28 million 50-kg bags of fertilizer for farmers growing food crops.

Following the subsidy announcement, CS Munya published new fertilizer prices that cover an estimated 114,000 metric tonnes of the product.

Following the subsidy, farmers will now pay KSh 2,800 for a 50Kg of DAP fertilizer from a high of KSh 6000, KSh 1,850 for CAN, KSh 2,700 for UREA, NPK KSh 3,000, MOP KSh 2,500, and Sulphate Ammonia KSh 2,500.

According to CS Munya, the rising prices of fertilizer were triggered by logistical constraints due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Therafter, prices further skyrocketed after China, Russia and Turkey restricted exports to protect their local farmers after demand for the commodity surged in India, Brazil, and USA.