About 99,000 metric tonnes of fertiliser have arrived at the port of Mombasa for smallholder tea farmers, with authorities promising faster distribution of the crucial farm input ahead of the rains.
Speaking when he flagged off the consignment in Mombasa yesterday, Agriculture Principal Secretary Dr Paul Ronoh said the consignment would benefit about 800,000 tea farmers across the country.
“We are here today as a ministry with the tea sector team to witness the first consignment of fertilisers for small-scale tea farmers, which are close to 99,000 metric tonnes which have arrived early enough,” he stated.
The fertiliser is being transported from the Port of Mombasa to Nairobi by the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) before being distributed by road to tea factories and farmers.
KTDA national chairman Mr Enos Njeru said the consignment is the first of three shipments expected to arrive this month.
“This is the first of three ships carrying 99,000 metric tonnes of fertiliser which arrived at the Port of Mombasa on September 3, with the remaining two vessels expected to arrive within this month,” he explained.
Once bagged, the consignment will provide approximately 1.9 million 50-kilogramme bags of NPK 26:5:5 fertiliser.
Ronoh said the early arrival of the fertiliser was a major improvement compared with previous years, when supplies reached farmers later in the year.
“Last time, it came around December; this time as early as September. We can witness the arrival and the distribution of these fertilisers to all the factories and also to all the tea farmers,” said Ronoh.
The PS directed KTDA and other stakeholders to ensure that the fertiliser reaches farmers within one month.
“As we distribute these fertilisers, I want KTDA, with all other stakeholders, to make sure that they have a very efficient and effective way of distributing this fertiliser so that within the next one month all fertilisers are with the farmers,' he said.
He also cautioned farmers against applying fertiliser without considering prevailing weather conditions, particularly with forecasts of El Niño rains.
“If there is too much rain, if you apply fertilisers, it will end up in waste because it will leach a lot,” he added.
KTDA said the fertiliser is being procured through competitive international bidding, with the agency leveraging the collective demand of more than 650,000 farmers to negotiate better prices.
However, Njeru said the cost of importing the fertiliser remains high because of international market pressures.
“The fertiliser has come in at a very high cost of over Sh5,500 per 50 kgs bag,” he noted.
He said the final cost is also affected by clearing, transportation and insurance expenses.
Ronoh said the government would subsidise fertiliser for tea farmers at the same rate being offered to farmers growing other crops.
“Either you are a tea farmer, you are a coffee farmer, or you are a maize farmer, so long as you are applying fertilisers, the government treats all farmers the same.”
The government has reduced the price from Sh2,500 to Sh2,000 per 50-kilogramme bag, according to the PS.
Njeru welcomed the government's intervention, saying tea farmers had benefited from subsidised fertiliser for the past five years.
“For the past five years, farmers have benefited from Government support that has enabled them to access a 50-kilogramme bag at KSh2,500.”
He appealed to the government to extend the subsidy to tea farmers this year.
“Farmers of other crops were recently promised a subsidy to ensure a bag goes for Sh2,000 and we request that tea farmers receive the same subsidy as well.”
Beyond fertiliser, Ronoh said the government was implementing wide-ranging reforms aimed at improving farmers' earnings and strengthening the tea industry.
“The tea sector is undergoing a very tight reform schedule which the government has put in place together with KTDA and the Tea Board to make sure that we enhance the efficiency of this sector so that we improve farmers' earnings,” he said.
The reforms will cover production, value addition, marketing and payment systems, including the planned introduction of online digital payments for KTDA farmers.
The PS also said the government had set aside nearly Sh10 billion to support value addition, mechanisation and modernisation of tea factories.
He said about Sh4.5 billion had been allocated to KTDA factories, with nearly Sh1 billion already distributed.
Ronoh further urged tea factories to take advantage of the government's decision to waive taxes on packaging materials and increase local value addition.
“We want all Kenyan tea to be packaged in Kenya—made in Kenya and manufactured at a particular factory. That is the government policy.”
He said reducing bulk exports and increasing local packaging would create greater value for Kenya's tea industry.
The PS also announced that a scientific tea-testing centre was ready and undergoing piloting, saying it would complement traditional tea-testing methods.
“The scientific testing centre is now ready, and it is under piloting and soon we will launch it for full operationalisation.”
He said the facility would improve credibility in tea testing and help ensure farmers receive prices that accurately reflect the quality of their produce.
Ronoh also directed the Tea Research Institute to accelerate soil mapping to ensure farmers receive fertiliser suited to specific soil conditions.
“I’m also directing the Tea Research Institute to move with speed and do what is called soil mapping to ensure that the fertilisers KTDA is acquiring and distributing for tea are specific and rich for specific soils.”
Meanwhile, KTDA has urged farmers to collect their fertiliser promptly once it reaches their factories and apply it according to recommended agronomic practices.
The government hopes the early distribution of the fertiliser, combined with ongoing reforms in production, marketing, value addition and payment systems, will improve productivity and ultimately increase earnings for smallholder tea farmers.
