Farmers decry ‘tiring’ process of getting subsidised fertiliser
Farmers in Kiambu have decried delays in the issuance of subsidised fertilizer due to rigorous purchasing procedures.
The say they are likely to get late for planting now that the rains have set in, noting that the fact that they have to purchase the fertilizer through Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) is overwhelming.
Farmers have since appealed to the Ministry of Agriculture to ease the process, saying the money they are using to traverse in order to be accredited is making nought the subsidisation. “After vetting by the Ministry of Agriculture, farmers were being asked to make payment of the bags they required at KCB branches across the country. The banks are few and only available in several towns, making it hard for farmers to access them,” Mbugua Mwangi, a farmer from Lari, said.
The most affected area is the expansive and arable Lari sub-county since there is no KCB. Rosemary Nyambura, another farmer, said some of them have to travel to Naivasha town, Githunguri and Limuru to pay for the fertilizers and come with a bank slip to collect the commodity at Lari.
“We had been told it was mandatory for us to pay at the bank itself, and we did not have a choice. We had to travel long distances, spend time and fare,” she said.
However, during the commissioning of the sale of the subsidised fertilisers at Pyrethrum grounds in Kimende town, area MP Mburu Kahangara discussed the issue with National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) officials and agreed that farmers should be allowed to pay through authorised KCB agents.
“The government is committed to supporting farmers at all costs. We decided to change the strategy of paying for the fertilizer and now farmers can pay through agents and bring the slips to NCPB officials who then will release the fertilisers to them,” he said.
