President William Ruto has detailed the interventions his administration has put in place to lower the cost of living.
Ruto pointed out that the move to subsidise the cost of fertilisation was a masterstroke in the plan noting it has reduced from the previous Sh6, 500 to now Sh2, 500 per bag.
The head of state who was delivering his first State of the Nation address in Parliament noted that the move has now seen the maize production in the country go up by 200,000 per care this year with 18 million additional bags of maize set to be harvested.
“The cost of living is not an abstract phenomenon,” Ruto said.
“I am committed to putting the shame of hunger behind us once and for all, we rolled out a countrywide farmer registration and fertiliser subsidy programme that has made available 5.5 million bags to farmers across Kenya,” he added.
As a result of the intervention, Ruto stated, a two-kilogramme packet of maize is now selling at Sh145 and a high of Sh175 depending on the brand down from Sh250.
“The famous gorogoro is now selling between Sh60 to Sh75… honourable members you know how much it cost,” he said.
Enumerating the successes of the fertiliser programme, Ruto noted that the enrolment of farmers into a digital register and the creation of a database have enabled the government to implement the e-voucher system through which farmers receive fertiliser for planting.
He even disclosed that he made calls to random farmers across the country who gave him their experiences with the programme.