Farmers continue to flock at NCPB for subsidized fertilizers.

By Emmanuel Oyasi. 

Farmers in West pokot County have continued to flock at the National Cereals and Produce Board NCPB in Makutano town to collect the subsidized fertilizer in preparation for the plating season.

The board’s manager, Nadia Kaisan, said  they have received 13,500 bags of blended fertilizer.

However, Kaisan complained of little amount of fertilizers received compared to the large number of farmers who continue to arrive at the board to collect the commodity, some coming even  from the neighboring county of Trans nzoia.

“We serve the farmers by giving them fertilizer that has been blended to preserve the quality of the soil. However the amount fertilizer that we are receiving is little compared to the number of farmers who show up to collect it,” said Mrs. Kaisan.

At the time, Kaisan also complained of the challenges facing the distribution process due to the shortage of computers used in registering farmers who show up to collect the fertilizer, a situation she said is derailing their services to farmers.

“We are currently facing the challenge of the shortage of computers that we use to serve farmers. This situation greatly affects our services to farmers,” she said.

Worth noting, the government announced a reduction in the price of subsidized fertilizer from Kshs 3,500 to Kshs 2,500.

Cabinet minister for agriculture Mithika Linturi said the level of production last season increased significantly compared to previous years where more than 60 million sacks of maize were harvested.

The government aims to ensure that the nation is self-sufficient in food production and stop importation from the foreign countries.