Kenya to import 12.5 million bags of fertilizer

Kenya’s government has ordered 12.5 million bags of fertilizer in order to ensure that there are no shortages during the long rains planting season, local media reported on Tuesday.

The Nation quoted the country’s agriculture minister, Mithika Linturi, as saying that the fertilizer is currently being imported, and will be supplied to farmers at subsidized rates.

Kenya’s National Cereals and Produce Board had already distributed 378,000 bags to farmers, but concerns had been mounting that there could be shortages of fertilizer in the North Rift region, where demand is particularly high among maize growers.

The East African country requires 650,000 tonnes of fertilizer a year; however, some farmers have to forego the use of crop nutrition products due to high prices.