You will need a degree, diploma, or certificate in an agricultural course to sell farm inputs such as fertiliser and animal feeds or risk a two-year jail term and a Sh200,000 fine if Parliament passes a proposed law.
The Agricultural Professionals Registration and Licensing Bill 2024 proposes the registration of agricultural professionals who have attained these qualifications to allow them to practice.
Tigania West MP John Mutunga is the sponsor of the Bill.
“A person who, not being eligible to be registered or licensed under this Act, manages or dispenses agricultural inputs in the form of fertilisers, feeds, agricultural chemicals, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding Sh200,000 or imprisonment to a term not exceeding two years or both,” says the Bill.
If the Bill is passed, agricultural professionals will join the growing list of regulated professions, including medical professionals, lawyers, engineers, architects, quantity surveyors, and accountants.
The Bill seeks to establish the Agricultural Professionals Registration and Licensing Board to register, issue annual licences, and regulate the conduct of the sector’s practitioners.
Those seeking registration to practice will pay a yet-to-be-determined annual fee to renew their licences.
“The main objective of this Bill is to provide a legislative framework for the training, registration, and licensing of agricultural professionals.
“The Bill further seeks to regulate the practice of agricultural professionals,” said Mr Mutunga in the Bill’s memorandum of objects and reasons.
If passed, the Bill will give the government a tighter leash on the sector in which unscrupulous traders have been duping farmers with counterfeit and substandard products, especially seeds and fertilisers, which has affected crop production.
