Over 6.4 million farmers are set to benefit from 16,000 metric tonnes of fertilizer donated by the Algerian government.
Speaking in Mombasa while receiving the consignment, Agriculture and Livestock Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi said the country needs about 900,000 metric tonnes of assorted fertilizer to adequately produce food in the country each year.
“As a country, we are humbled to receive 16,000 MT of urea fertilizer which is timely and in alignment with our cropping calendar,” he said.
“As a country, we require 900,000MT of assorted fertilizer to adequately produce our food. The government, through my ministry, is committed to ensuring that smallholder farmers continue to access subsidized fertilizer in order to cushion them against the high cost of production.”
He said that this year, the government is also planning to acquire 630,000 metric tonnes of fertilizer consisting 50% basal and 50% topdressing.
“The government has prioritized some value chains through the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) that we believe will be most effective in realizing food security, reducing food imports and increasing exports,” Linturi stated.
“To serve the farmers better, we have mapped and registered 6.4 million farmers alongside value chain actors such as agro-inputs dealers, aggregators, processors, extension service providers, marketing centers, transporters, among others.”
The Algerian Ambassador to Kenya, Mahi Boumediene, on his part lauded the move saying it will strengthen ties between the two countries.