Why ‘cheap’ fertiliser is an expensive headache

Casual labourer at the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) Eldoret Depot, offload Government Subsidised fertilizer from a lorry. 600, 000 bags of the fertilizer have been offloaded. Farmers have started purchasing the farm input as the planting season kicks off. 30-03-2015. PHOTOS BY: KEVIN TUNOI

 

Farmers in the Rift Valley opt to buy inputs from private dealers because of the red tape involved in getting the government’s subsidised supply.

Getting subsidised planting and top dressing fertiliser, which retails at Sh1,800, is tedious and farmers would rather buy from private stockists who sell the same at over Sh3,000.

Joyce Wanjiku, a maize farmer in Menengai West on the outskirts of Nakuru town, says she buys the input from private dealers to avoid losses caused by prolonged procurement processes.

Wanjiku, who grows yellow maize on one acre, says she uses a broker who registers small-scale farmers in the area to receive the input.

She says, however, it is not a guarantee to receive the fertiliser on time. Sometimes she is forced to buy from private sellers, despite paying extra charges to the brokers.

“As much as we are encouraged by the government to use enough fertiliser to plant crops, it is not easy to access the input. We use brokers who too frustrate our efforts of improving production,” says Wanjiku.

Frustrate farmers

The brokers, she adds, further ask for transportation charges to deliver fertiliser from the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB).

“We have to register to receive subsidised fertiliser and pay not less than Sh200 transport fee to brokers. This is very tiresome and costly,” Wanjiku says.

While farmers top dress their crops, including maize, potatoes and beans with Calcium Ammonium Nitrogen (CAN), she collects poultry waste for the purpose.

“I have learnt to prepare manure from animal waste to improve production of my crops because the fertiliser delays for as long as three weeks,” Wanjiku says.

Ernest Mureithi, a maize farmer in Gilgil, says the acquisition procedure is too long, leading to more costs.

He says he was forced to buy seven bags of 50kg of NPK fertiliser at Sh3,150 per bag from a stockist in Nakuru town after being tossed from one government office to another.

“I did not want to delay planting waiting for subsidised fertiliser. That would affect germination of crops because of unpredictable weather,” says Mureithi.

To be allowed to buy subsidised fertiliser, a farmer must have an endorsement letter from the chief to prove he is a resident of the location and he qualifies to benefit.

A farmer is also required to get a voucher from either county or sub-county agriculture office where a list of beneficiaries is compiled.

The voucher is to be submitted to the NCPB, where one is given a bank account number to deposit money. The bank slip is then submitted to the NCPB where the farmer is booked on the beneficiaries list. It may take weeks for one to get the fertiliser.

“Farmers waste a lot of time chasing the required documents. The officers also frustrate farmers to give up the process,” says Eric Rono, a farmer in Mauche.

Mr Rono says despite fulfilling all the requirements to access subsidised fertiliser by March this year, there was no clear communication on when he was to receive the input.

“I paid money for the subsidised fertiliser on March 19, but the input came after three weeks,” says Rono.

Farmer Francis Ngiri from Kiptangwany village in Elemetaita says the process does not benefit farmers.

He says his area chief lives in Miti Mingi area, 15km away, making it difficult for residents to have his endorsement. The agriculture office is also 10km away.

“It takes weeks to complete the procurement process for subsidised fertiliser. This entails travelling to various authorities,” says Mr Ngiri. The process wastes time and resources, he says.

The farmer says to ensure they benefit from the input, they have formed a group of 60 to speed up the procurement process.

“Applying for subsidised input is not easy because we are kept waiting, but when we apply as a group, we are considered on time,” he says.

Timothy Sawe, who grows tea and maize, says he does not bother to apply for subsidised fertiliser because clearance at Olenguruone is done selectively.

“I need the subsidised fertiliser, but I cannot get it because whenever I go to the station, I find a long queue of farmers waiting,” he says.

A spot check by Smart Harvest in private agrovets found many farmers queuing for fertiliser and certified seeds during the onset of the long rains.

Planting fertiliser was being sold at between Sh3,000 and Sh3,500 per 50kg bag, depending on the brand. Subsidised CAN is sold at Sh1,600 per 50kg bag at the NCPB, while stockists sell at between Sh2,500 and Sh3,800, depending on the manufacturer’s brand.

Meanwhile, hay farmers in the Rift Valley say the main challenge is high cost of farm inputs, including herbicides and fertiliser.

Chemirmir says the government should also include animal feeds, for example hay as a feed crop, to enable small-scale and upcoming dairy farmers to get subsidised fertilisers and other inputs.

“Production of hay is very expensive because of high costs of input, which result in poor quality that impact highly on the quality of milk,” he says.

Chemirmir says he has been a victim of a long process and was forced to buy fertiliser from retailers at a high price.