Farmers gamble as fertiliser crisis threatens yields

The severe shortage of low-cost fertiliser has hit large-scale farmers hard, threatening Kenya’s food security and export volumes.

Wheat, maize, tea and flower growers who have been restricted to buy only 10 bags of subsidised fertiliser per farmer say have reduced acreage under certain crops, ditched fertiliser-thirsty crops, meaning that next harvest season, staple food volumes will be very low.