Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader Raila Odinga has promised to lower fertiliser prices if he is elected President in the August polls.
Odinga said he will execute a subsidy programme for farmers in Baraka, Molo, Nakuru county, saying the price of fertiliser will be reduced from Sh 6,000 for a 50kg bag to Sh 2,000.
“We will make sure farmers get fertiliser at a good price. Now the prices have hit almost Sh 6,000. It will be Sh 2,000. (Tutaona ya kwamba wakulima wanapata mbolea kwa bei nafuu, saa hii bei yake imepanda sana karibu Sh 6,000. Itarudi elfu mbili),” said Odinga.
Farmers had earlier urged the government to intervene through subsidies to help reduce the price of fertiliser.
They want the input sold for less than Sh2,500 per 50kg bag from the current high of about Sh6,000.
Farmers also want the state to allocate Sh10 billion to the Agricultural Finance Corporation so that they can access credit to enable them prepare for the planting season which starts mid-February.
Munya had prepared a Cabinet memo to discuss and offer intervention on the high cost of fertiliser ahead of the planting season.
He said the Cabinet will discuss possible interventions to bring down the price that hit a high 50kg bag going for sh6000 up from Sh3,200 while a 25kg bag of maize seed is selling at Sh 4,700, nearly double the price as at last year.
He further stated that price of input was beyond the control of government, attributing its rise to high cost of raw material and shortage in the world market.
“I am putting this matter before the Cabinet so that we discuss and come up with the measures that will address the high cost of fertiliser,” said the CS.
