Lead image for Cheaper fertiliser, seeds offer lifeline to farmers hit by maize losses.
Against the backdrop of maize crop failure in the Rift Valley, the government has further lowered the cost of fertiliser and certified maize seeds in a move aimed at cushioning farmers from mounting losses and encouraging them to return to production.
The subsidy on certified maize seeds, which targets 40 million kilogrammes, will cost the government Sh6 billion, while the Ministry of Agriculture has not yet disclosed the cost of the new fertiliser subsidy.
Farmers will now buy a 50-kilogramme bag of fertiliser for Sh2,000, down from Sh2,500, representing a Sh500 reduction.
The price of certified maize seeds has also been cut by half, with a kilogramme retailing at Sh150, down from Sh300. The government will meet the difference under a raft of new subsidy measures.
This means a two-kilogramme packet of certified maize seed will cost Sh300 down from Sh600, while a 10-kilogramme bag will retail at Sh1,500, compared with the current Sh3,000. A 25-kilogramme bag will cost Sh3,750, down from Sh7,500.
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President William Ruto announced the new measures during his tour of the Coast region, saying his administration was keen to ease the burden on farmers who have suffered losses following poor weather.
“My administration moved from subsidising consumption to subsidising production through lowering the cost of inputs, thus backing up farmers to produce more in a move that would strengthen food security in the country,” Dr Ruto said in Taita Taveta County.