Farmers have received a major boost after Toyota Tsusho joined the supply deal of subsidy fertiliser under the State-backed scheme.
The firm, which trades its products under the brand name Baraka, will help farmers get quick access to fertiliser.
Farmers will buy the Toyota fertiliser at Sh2,800 per 50-kg bag, down from the market cost of Sh6,200.
Farmers have received a major boost after Toyota Tsusho joined the supply deal of subsidy fertiliser under the State-backed scheme.
The move to have the Japanese-owned subsidiary supply fertiliser to National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) will boost the access of fertiliser to farmers amid a shortage of the crucial input.
The firm, which trades its products under the brand name Baraka, will help farmers get quick access to fertiliser, given that it is in the North Rift — the country’s breadbasket, where most of the planting is taking place.
Farmers will buy the Toyota fertiliser at Sh2,800 per 50-kg bag, down from the market cost of Sh6,200.
The State will pay Toyota a compensation due to the subsidy from the Sh5.7 billion set aside for the 2.28 million bags of discounted fertiliser for food crops.
“We are now getting Baraka fertiliser for distribution to farmers under the subsidy scheme after the manufacturer joined the firms that are supplying us with the products,” said NCPB communications manager Titus Maiyo.
The firm makes a special blend of fertiliser both for planting and top dressing that are suited to farm needs.
Growers have been grappling with a shortage of fertiliser due to depleted stocks at the NCPB, which has affected the planting season.
Last week, NCPB said it had started relocating fertiliser from other regions to the North Rift where it is in high demand to address the current shortage.
Some of the firms supplying the NCPB with different types of fertilisers include Maisha Minerals, the dealers of Mavuno, Minjingu Mines, Fanisi and OCP Kenya.
Toyota Tsusho signed a memorandum of understanding with the Kenyan government in 2014 to manufacture fertiliser. Then, in 2015, the company established Toyota Tsusho Fertiliser Africa Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary and proceeded to construct a fertiliser blending plant in Eldoret.
