President Ruto releases Sh2,500 fertiliser to farmers
President William Ruto on Wednesday announced a reduction in the price of fertiliser from Sh3,500 to Sh2,500 per 50kg bag in a bid to revolutionise agriculture and reduce the high cost of living in the country.
Announcing the launch of the second phase of the subsidised fertiliser programme, the President urged farmers to consider increasing their use of the commodity to boost productivity.
“Since fertiliser is the game changer of agricultural productivity, this should translate to higher production in the next planting season. I encourage farmers to embrace better and greater use of fertiliser to increase yields in the coming seasons,” the president said during a press briefing at State House Nairobi.
The Head of State noted that the Kenya Kwanza administration’s Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda recognises that the county’s poor economic performance is primarily due to the underperformance of agriculture, hence the need to boost production.
“Agriculture’s contribution to employment, incomes, foreign exchange, cost of living and industrialisation has two related implications,” he said.
“Neglecting to invest in agriculture deprives the economy of a tremendous opportunity to grow steadily, increasing unemployment, poverty and inequality and strategic interventions in agriculture can ignite the national economy and set it on the path to inclusive growth.”
