Gov't disburses 1 million bags of fertiliser for small-scale farmers

Agriculture Principal Secretary Paul Rono on Thursday flagged off one million bags of fertiliser at the port of Mombasa, targeting smallholder farmers.

PS Rono, addressing the press at the port, also announced that the government is exploring new markets for unsold tea which is currently being kept in stores, adding that there has been a drop in demand from the traditional markets.

“We're saying going forward, this problem of unsold tea will be an issue of the past because the programme KTDA has put in place together with the government will ensure that there will be no unsold tea carried forward above 40 million kilos,” he said.

The PS also stated that a commission has been formed to identify the current issues being encountered by tea sector players, with an aim of solving them and boosting production across the country.

The Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) National Chairman Enos Njeru urged farmers across the country to improve the quality of their produce in order to get improved payment.

“The miracle can only be done at the farm level by the plucker and the way they handle it before it is taken to the factory. The handling itself also matters a lot. So I want to urge our farmers and assure them, now that we are giving them fertilizers, we encourage them to focus on quality,” he stated.