War impact: Russia-Ukraine conflict to raise fertiliser prices, CS Munya says
Tension between Russia and Ukraine has affected the price of fertiliser as it is set to rise above Sh7,000 for a 50kg bag.
Kenya receives fertiliser from Russia and China, according to Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine could disrupt global supply.
“We get most of our fertiliser from Russia and China and this war may see the price of fertiliser hit Sh7,000 if there will be no subsidy in place,” Munya told Parliament yesterday.
This is despite the fact that fertiliser costs have reached an all-time high of Sh6,000 for a 50kg bag, which has been ascribed to high natural gas prices in Europe, prompting some factories to cut or stop output entirely.
The ministry requires at least Sh31.8 billion for the subsidy, according to CS Munya, who also stated that the cost of planting fertiliser (diamonium phosphate) will be reduced to Sh2,800.
Farmers had early 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 government 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.
Caption
Fertilizer
By Njoki Maina
