Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi has launched the second shipment of fertilizer destined for Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) farmers.
Linturi highlighted the significance of this consignment, totaling more than 45,000 tons (900,000 bags) of fertilizer, aiming to empower tea farmers to enhance crop production and manage the cost of living effectively.
In the context of the government’s broader agenda to boost exports, Linturi emphasized tea as a key value chain.
He stated, “Tea has been identified as one of the value chains for exports under the grow exports pillar.
This means that the government, in collaboration with stakeholders, is dedicated to improving and sustaining tea productivity.”
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Despite acknowledging the challenges in the consignment’s arrival, citing global conflicts as a cause for delay, Linturi expressed satisfaction with a notable change.
The introduction of 25 kg fertilizer bags, replacing the traditional 50 kg bags, aims to alleviate the burden on farmers during application.
Linturi, speaking at the Port of Mombasa during the consignment’s flagging-off ceremony, said, “This consignment has arrived in the country under challenging global circumstances that have impacted the industry.
I am pleased to announce that this year, we have introduced 25 kg bags to make the application of fertilizer in the farms less strenuous.”
The CS assured that the Ministry remains committed to providing smallholder farmers with access to subsidized fertilizer, shielding them from the impact of high market prices.
He stated, “The government, through my ministry, is dedicated to ensuring that smallholder farmers continue to access subsidized fertilizer, protecting them from the high prices prevailing in the market.”
To further support farmers, Linturi revealed that the second consignment will be delivered directly to nearby tea-buying centers, eliminating the need for farmers to incur additional costs in transporting fertilizer from factory stores to their farms.
The first consignment, comprising 47,800 tons (956,000 bags), arrived in October 2023 and has already been distributed to farmers.
