Farmers decry fertiliser shortage as planting season begins in Trans Nzoia

Farmers in Trans Nzoia County are raising the alarm over a fertiliser shortage as the planting season gets underway.

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe says the government will pay fertiliser suppliers soon amid fears of hoarding due to delayed payments.

But in Ngonyek area of Cherangany Constituency, farmer Mark Too says he is ready to plant, yet lacks a crucial input — fertiliser.

“I have already prepared my land, but when I went to the National Cereals and Produce Board, I was told fertiliser will only be available in April. By then, it will already be too late for planting,” said a Cherangany farmer Mark Too.

At the National Cereals and Produce Board depot in Kitale, farmers have been flocking in large numbers in search of fertiliser. While some consignments have begun arriving, farmers say the available stock is not the type needed for this planting season.

Many are waiting anxiously for updates on when the right fertiliser will arrive, fearing delays could disrupt their planting plans.

“We are appealing to the government because Trans Nzoia feeds the country. If fertiliser is not available, it means the country may face food shortages,” another farmer from Saboti Denis Juma said.

Another in Trans Nzoia Stephen Mwaniki added: “We are expecting the OCP fertiliser, but it is not available yet — and this is already the planting season.”

Farmers warn that if fertiliser does not arrive in time, their planting schedules and ultimately this season’s harvest could be severely affected.

“We are struggling. We do not want this planting season to pass us by,” Juma noted.

Meanwhile, CS Kagwe, speaking in Nyeri, said the government had ordered enough fertiliser for the planting season and that the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development is awaiting approval of a supplementary budget to pay suppliers within the next two weeks.

 “We don’t have a shortage of fertiliser in the country. Some have not been delivered because of the slowness of subsidies. We are assuring suppliers not to worry — we shall pay them soon,” he stated.