Kenya could start importing fertiliser from Tanzania next year to help alleviate the shortage.
The move is geared towards saving the country from the high cost of importing fertiliser from overseas.
Speaking in Dodoma on Friday, Agriculture CS Mithika Linturi said the shortage of fertiliser and the cost of importing the product could be solved by the newly established factory in Tanzania, which produces the agricultural product.
The CS spoke during a tour to Intracom , a production plant in Dodoma established by a Burundian investor through Public Private Partnership to provide Tanzanian farmers with affordable and high-quality fertiliser.
The national treasury released Sh3.55 billion last year for the procurement and distribution of subsidised manure to farmers through the ‘The Subsidy Programme,’ which distributed 1.4 million 50kg bags to farmers across the country.
Linturi said the decision to consider importing fertiliser from Dodoma was also prompted by the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia, from which Kenya imports from.
“The shortage of fertiliser and food insecurity is not a Kenyan problem only but it is a global challenge that cannot be ignored. Our annual demand ranges between 800 and one million tonnes, at a cost of more than Sh80.5 billion,” Linturi said.
A delegation from his ministry and senior advisors from the President’s Office led by Senior Advisor and Head of Economic Transformation Secretariat Augustine Cheruiyot accompanied the CS.
The government is currently supplying subsidised manure to farmers at a cost of Sh3,500 per bag, as Linturi remains optimistic that importing from Tanzania will be cheaper and faster.
