Farmers across the country have begun planting their crops, while others are still sowing seeds for the main planting season of the year. This season is known for the long rains that last from March to May. As a result, discussions about fertiliser, particularly subsidised fertiliser, are common at this time.
However, this year's planting season has been hit hard by reports that farmers in parts of the country may have bought counterfeit fertiliser. Panic is rife among farmers, as the alleged fake fertiliser was sold by the government through the National Cereals and Produce Board depots.
Here we journey through the process of how farmers access government-subsidised fertiliser to understand how a substandard product found its way into the government's distribution system through the eyes of Dennis Biwott, a maize farmer from Kapseret Constituency, UasinGishu County.
Why Khalwale wants Agriculture CS Linturi sacked President Ruto: No sacred cows in fertiliser scandal probe'The first step in accessing the subsidised fertiliser is to register with the local administration, the area chief. The chief then visits your farm to authenticate your identity and the area you intend to plant,' he says.
'Your details are then uploaded into a database run by the district agriculture department. As agriculture is a devolved function, planning for subsidised fertiliser is done at county level, while its importation and distribution is managed by the national government. After authentication, I was promised four bags of fertiliser because I only have two acres,' says Biwott.
President William Ruto launched the registration of farmers in 2022. Ruto ordered that government subsidised fertiliser should only be given to registered farmers through an e-wallet system. Dennis Biwott, like other farmers in the country, had to start the registration process last year in order to access the fertiliser this year. The goods are sold at 2,500 ksh per 50kg bag, much lower than the cost at Agrovets.
Farmers had little time to familiarise themselves with the system, so many were left out of the programme, as this maize farmer explains. 'When my chief and county officials visited my farm, they also visited my neighbours and managed to register some of them. But some of the neighbours weren't convinced why they needed to register, and when they tried to buy fertiliser from NCPB, they were told it was impossible,' adds Biwott.
Once registration is complete, a voucher code is sent to the farmer's mobile phone, which is then used to collect the fertiliser from an NCPB depot.
Access to subsidised fertiliser is an arduous process. Farmers expect the government to carry out quality checks from import to distribution. The substandard product scandal has shocked the country, with farmers demanding answers as to how the product entered the system.
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