Agriculture Principal Secretary Paul Ronoh has directed the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) to replace all substandard fertiliser distributed to farmers.
Speaking on Saturday, April 6, PS Ronoh said NCPB was currently collecting data from the affected farmers.
He noted that those who have already planted with the brand will have it replaced with top dressing to address the nutrient deficiencies in the crops.
“We are engaging the farmers who were affected and we have directed NCPB to move ahead and facilitate them by capturing the data and ascertaining the information so they are assisted.
“We have been able to analyze the substandard fertilizer and establish the nutrient that was missing in it,” said PS Ronoh.
The Agriculture PS also revealed plans to have a thorough scrutiny of the entire fertilizer supply chain warning of tough legal action against those found culpable of swindling innocent farmers.
“What you will be hearing are people in court, people in jail, and some disappearing and the reason is we cannot allow our food basket to be messed by a few individuals,” he stated.
Ronoh mentioned that the worst affected areas are some counties in the North Rift and some other areas in the South Rift that started in March.
On Friday, the Ministry of Agriculture suspended the distribution of Kelphos Plus, Kelphos Gold and NPK 10:26:10 fertilisers, saying they did not meet all the required test parameters.
“Following the release of test results by the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), the government has taken decisive action to safeguard the agricultural sector and farmers by announcing the immediate suspension of KEL Chemicals’ operations and seizure of its fertilizer products,” Agriculture CS Mithika Linturi said in a statement.
Also Read: Ruto Responds To Raila’s Claims That Subsidized Fertilizer Was Donated By Russia
