The Agriculture Society of Kenya(ASK) has welcomed the decision by the Government to reduce the cost of fertilizer by Sh500 and to reduce the cost of certified maize seeds as a way of helping farmers recover from drought related losses.
The society’s National Chairman, John Kibera says the move is a welcome relief for the thousands of maize farmers across the country who were disappointed by the depressed March-May rainfall.
Speaking in Nyeri when he led the ASK officials on an inspection tour of the Kabiru-ini show grounds ahead of this year’s fair, Kibera said the subsidy will help farmers to better prepare for the rains by securing much needed inputs ahead of the planting season.
“We want to take this opportunity to thank President William Ruto and his government for the price reduction of fertilizer prices from Sh2500 to Sh2000 as well as the reduction in price for the certified seeds,” said Kibera.
“And we would like to ask the Kenyan farmers to take advantage of those price reductions and buy the certified seeds and get prepared for the planting season once the rains start in October,” said Kibera.
On Monday, the Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development, Mutahi Kagwe announced a further subsidy on fertilizer and certified maize seeds as measures that he said are intended at lowering farmers’ cost of production, protecting gains made in agricultural output and strengthening national food security amid drought and changing weather patterns.
In a statement Kagwe said that under the new intervention, a 50-kilogram bag of subsidized fertilizer will retail at Sh2,000, down from S 2,500.
On certified maize seeds, the CS said that the Government will meet 50 per cent of the cost by reducing the price from Sh300 to Sh150 per kilogram.
He said that the maize seed subsidy is targeting about 40 million kilogrammes which will translate to an estimated Sh6 billion in Government support.
Kagwe said that the Government will also continue to invest in irrigation, water harvesting and other climate-smart interventions to build farmers’ resilience and ensure that drought does not deny them the ability to plant the next crop.
Meanwhile, Kibera has confirmed that all is set for the 58th edition of the Central Kenya Agriculture show.
While inviting show-goers to come and learn from the experts, the chairman said that the annual agricultural fair will be staged from September 9 to September 12 under the theme Promoting Climate Smart Agriculture and Trade Initiatives for Sustainable Economic Growth.
According to ASK Chief Executive Officer Batram Muthoka the theme aligns with ASK’s agenda of promoting the adoption of climate smart practices in agriculture. Muthoka noted that the show will accelerate the adoption of climate smart technologies in agriculture as a way of strengthening the growth of the agriculture sector.
“As a way of aligning the show to climate change, we are looking at making sure that the technologies exhibited will encourage sustainability, build adaptability and resilience among farmers. The show will have exhibitors from the seed industry, the livestock industry,horticulture who will basically bring in seeds and livestock breeds that are resilient and adaptable to the climate change challenges,”he said.
“Our hope is that through the people we are going to bring on board, the farmers will get solutions to the climate change challenges,”he added.
Central Kenya Show Chairman, Patrick Munuhe, a total of 150 exhibitors from finance, agriculture, housing, hospitality education and manufacturing sectors are expected to participate during the show.He said that they are projecting that this year’s fair will be attended by close to 350,000 visitors.
“We have done a lot to ensure that there is enough security, that the ground is well cleared and all the demonstration plots are okay. We have invited quite a number of exhibitors and as we speak, 70 have secured their slots. We are now calling on those who have not actually taken advantage and secured a plot to do so,”he said.
by Wangari Mwangi and Samuel Maina
