Massive fertiliser import to tame food insecurity

Perennial food shortage in Kenya could be a thing of the past beginning next year following the massive importation of 11,000 tonnes of fertiliser by a multinational firm.

Export Trading Group (ETG), a commodities company with operations in more than 30 countries in Africa, this week brought into the country 5,500 metric tonnes of CAN fertilisers from Turkey for top-dressing

ETG Head of Fertiliser in Kenya Mustansir Taibali says the firm had imported the same quantity of DAP fertilisers from China for planting early in the year.

"Our latest offload of 5,500 tonnes of CAN fertilisers is in a bid to ensure that farmers can sufficiently access the commodity during the topdressing period, which is in few weeks to come," said Mr Mustansir.

According to Mustansir, fertiliser use in Kenya has been on the rise in the past five years, a testimony that farmers are getting more aware about the importance and value of the critical ingredient in agriculture.

Statistics show that in 2009, Kenyan farmers were consuming between 20,000 and 30,000 metric tonnes of fertiliser annually.

However, as at January 2015, this figure had gone up to between 70,000 and 80,000 metric tonnes a year.

"With this development, we see a situation where Kenya will be food secure in few years to come, thus bringing down the high cost of importing food from other countries," he said.

To cater for the needs of both large and small scale farmers, ETG has packaged its fertilizers in 50-kilogramme, 25-kilogramme and 10-kilogramme bags.

According to the ETG County Director Shem Odhiambo, there are prospects that food production will increase in the coming years, as demand for fertiliser goes up.

"Given the right knowledge and training, food production will be increasing in almost the same ratio as fertiliser application. Currently, one to one and half bags of 50-kg per acre are applied for both planting and top dressing," said Mr Odhiambo.

Meshack Talam, a maize farmer in Kitale, observes that in most cases at the time of planting, the commodity would not be available in the market. At times, if available, they would be sold to farmers at exorbitantly high prices.

"We were therefore compelled to use one bag of fertiliser to a two-acre piece of land. This impacted negatively on the final harvest," says Talam.

But now ETG has come up with warehouses, where fertilisers would be imported way ahead of time of use, stored, and then distributed to farmers at the time of need.

United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) latest report shows that about 1.5 million people in Kenya are under threat of severe malnutrition and possible death this year.

FAO blames the scary food status on the October to December short-rains season, which performed poorly, with late onset below average amounts and early cessation by the first 10 days of December 2014.