Kericho: Kericho County Government has launched 16 new fertilizer distribution stores across its six sub-counties to enhance access to subsidized farm inputs under the national government’s fertilizer program. Governor Dr. Eric Mutai, speaking at Girimori Market in Kunyak Ward, Kipkelion West Sub-County, said the new outlets will complement the existing four National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) depots in the region.
According to Kenya News Agency, Dr. Mutai noted that the initiative will ease access to fertilizer, particularly for farmers at the grassroots who previously had to travel long distances to NCPB outlets. The subsidized fertilizer is available at a cost of Sh 2,500 per 50-kilogram bag through NCPB and designated county distribution points.
The Governor also presided over the distribution of 10,000 coffee seedlings to over 300 farmers from five cooperatives under the Kunyak Farmers Coffee Cooperative Society. The exercise was part of the ongoing Equalizer Seedlings Empowerment Program, which seeks to promote crop diversification and increase household incomes.
‘Farmers in Kunyak have benefited from this program and have been trained on how to plant and manage the seedlings. In a few years, they will begin to reap the rewards,’ said Dr. Mutai. The County Government continues to work in partnership with the national government to improve input distribution, expand agricultural extension services, and strengthen agricultural value chains.