Farmers in Nyeri start buying subsidized fertilizer

Kiganjo fertilizer motorbike

Farmers load subsidized fertilizer on a motorbike at Kiganjo NCPB depot in Nyeri County on September 27, 2022.

Photo credit: Diana Boyani I Nation Media Group

Farmers have started receiving subsidized fertilizer from the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) Kiganjo depot in Nyeri County but the process is slow due to power outages.

On the second day of the distribution, only a few farmers got the Sh3, 500 fertilizer meant to improve food security in the country.

Since the government announced the fertilizer subsidy, farmers have been waiting eagerly for its arrival at the depot with more than 300 growers turning up to buy it.

But due to power outage and system failure that slowed down the verification of registered farmers’ details, some of the farmers hopes were cut short as they were forced to go back home empty handed after a whole day of waiting.

Speaking to the media, the farmers expressed frustrations over the delays.

“This is so frustrating because if I fail to get the fertilizer today, then it means I will have incurred the same expenses that we are trying to avoid by getting the fertilizer at a retail price of Sh6, 500,” said Mr Robert Wanjohi, a farmer.

Nyeri Town MP Duncan Mathenge who was at the depot to oversee the distribution vowed to petition NCPB to have more distribution points to prevent growers from travelling long distances to get the supplies.

“I will ask the NCPB to use selected coffee and tea factories as distribution points. It will not be sustainable for a farmer to travel over 50 kilometres to get the input considering the high cost of living,” he said.

Nyeri Agriculture Executive James Wachichi said upon completion of the distribution of the farm input, 10, 000 farmers controlling a total of 28, 000 acres of land would have benefited.

Farmers are receiving at least two bags for every acre they are cultivating.

However, out of the 8, 400 bags allocated for farmers in Nyeri, only 1, 680 had been received at the NCPB stores in Kiganjo.