Senate committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries has said it will summon Agriculture CS Mithika Lituri next week to explain why there is an acute shortage of subsidised fertiliser in Bungoma county.
The committee members spoke at Bungoma National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) depot on Saturday during an impromptu visit.
Senator James Murango, the committee’s chairperson, acknowledged that Bungoma NCPB does not have subsidised fertiliser for planting.
He revealed that currently, the depot has only six bags of planting fertiliser and about 7,800 bags of top dressing fertiliser.
Murango said the government set aside money to distribute subsidised fertiliser and there should be no excuse why Bungoma farmers are not getting supplies.
Bungoma Senator Wafula Wakoli argued that Bungoma farmers risk delaying to plant this season since they have not accessed the subsidised fertiliser.
“We have started receiving heavy rainfall yet our farmers are visiting the NCPB then go without fertiliser reason being Webuye, Bungoma town and Myanga depots aren’t stocked,” the Bungoma senator said.
The legislator added that only top dressing fertiliser is available at the NCPB depots.
The Ford Kenya senator added that the government should ensure farmers have access to subsidised fertiliser.
“The relevant authorities should expedite and look into the procurement process to ensure that farmers are accessing to subsidised fertiliser both planting and top dressing,” Wakoli said.
The MP said since Bungoma is the country’s food basket, if farmers fail to get planting fertiliser on time, the region and the country risks experiencing hunger crisis.
On January 31, the government launched nationwide distribution of subsidised fertiliser with an ambitious goal of issuing 12 million bags to farmers.
Speaking in Nakuru where he flagged off 2,300 bags of the commodity for farmers in the county, CS Linturi said his ministry would this year double the six million bags of subsidised fertiliser distributed last year.
On Thursday, February 28, Linturi appeared before the Senate where he provided updates on government efforts in developing various value chains and enhancing value addition across counties.
He told the House that the ministry has made progress in stabilising commodity prices and expanding market access.
“Notably, we have successfully tapped into new markets, including avocado exports to India, pineapple exports to Israel and tea exports to Australia, with a significant upcoming market in China,” he told MPs.
The CS, however, admitted that they are facing challenges as far as distribution of subsidised fertiliser is concerned.
We are facing challenges in establishing designated fertiliser collection points in wards for last-mile delivery of subsidised fertiliser. With plans for over 1,450 collection points nationwide, we urge Senators’ support to ensure compliance across counties.”
By Star