The fertiliser subsidy programme has been grappling with the problem of counterfeit which the government has been confiscating.
Unscrupulous traders have been exploiting farmers but Agriculture Principal Secretary Paul Rono has said despite the setback, the use of fertiliser has increased.
This has also led to an increase in the 2023 maize harvest.
“Last year, we distributed 5.8 million bags and due to the fertiliser subsidy, production increased from 34 million bags to 61 million bags. We are expecting to hit 100 million bags this year,” the PS said.
He said this year, the government intends to distribute 12.5 million bags, 7.5 million bags for the long rain season and the remaining five million bags for the short rainy season.
Rono said so far, the government has distributed 2.4 million bags of subsidised fertiliser to farmers across the country for the March-April-May planting season.
“In total, the government is planning to procure 7.5 million bags of fertiliser for the long rains season. Right now four million have arrived and we will be receiving another consignment of one million in Mombasa,” he said.
Rono said farmers from counties like Bomet, Nyamira and Narok have already planted and used the fertiliser, their crops are good and he projected high yields.
The PS further said the government has started compensating farmers who had bought the substandard fertiliser.
“The government has fixed the problem of fake fertiliser and farmers have started receiving compensation. We ask farmers who may have received the fake fertiliser to come to our stores so we can replace it with genuine one,” he added.
The PS said the government has sorted out the issue of fake fertiliser and some people have been prosecuted.
National Cereals and Produce Board managing director Joseph Kimote assured farmers that the issue of the 60,000 bags of substandard fertiliser product has been addressed.
“We have over two million bags in our stores which are being distributed to farmers. They are all top quality fertilisers,” he said.
Kimote said the uptake of the fertiliser subsidy this year is higher by almost 40 per cent.
“By the same time last year, we had sold around 1.2 million bags but now over two million bags have been distributed and we have a variety of many quality products getting in,” he said.
He added that NCPB has opened over 200 selling centres across the country while last year there were only 50.
“This has enabled us to bring the products closer to the farmers. Earlier, we had issues of supply but we sorted it out and we are receiving some more fertilisers, about a million bags, this week.
“By the end of this month, we should be having approximately over two million bags in stock, both planting and top dressing fertilisers,” Kimote said.
Kenya Farmers Association chairman Kipkorir Menjo said the subsidy fertiliser programme is a good initiative that if used well, can go far in terms of food production.
He said this is an area which is always a burden to the farmer, and it is supposed to give farmers leverage to be food secure and produce enough for the local and export market.
However, he said it is necessary to look at the whole concept of inputs because there are also challenges with seeds. We need to relook at seeds to guarantee the farmer gets authentic product,” he said.
Menjo said consistency of the supply of genuine input is key and this is lacking.
“At the moment there is no consistent supply and this could demoralise the farmer. If you go to the field this year you’ll see that most of them have new farm machinery because they had hopes of making ends meet,” he said.
He also said agriculture is devolved but the government has been clinging to some functions.
Counties in North Rift such as Elgeyo Marakwet, Uasin Gishu, Nandi and Trans Nzoia could organise their own fertiliser at the right time without waiting for anyone to direct them. The same goes for South Rift counties such as Kericho, Bomet and Narok.
Menjo said these counties have different planting seasons but when they all wait for the national government to supply, they get messed up. "I think this issue could be addressed at the county level.”
He further said the government should also look at policy frameworks that address issues of land consolidation, which have always been there in the books. Larger areas mean easier cultivation, more efficiency and higher production.
The issue of subdividing high-production areas into smaller less efficient areas should be discouraged, Menjo said.