Harsh penalties for fake fertiliser sellers

Factory workers at Toyota Tsusho Fertiliser Africa, Uasin Gishu. Agriculture Ministry has introduced harsh penalties to weed out syndicates in the fertilizer industry as cereal farmers in the North Rift region warned of declined yields due to low quality manure and disease outbreaks. PHOTO | JARED NYATAYA | NATION MEDIA GROUP

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Livestock Principal Secretary Andrew Tuimur said culprits will be fined Sh500,000 in the new measures aimed at ensuring that farmers are supplied with certified inputs.

Committee chair Adan Noor on Monday asked the national and county governments to form a team to assess the damage after claims that substandard fertilizer had caused poor maize growth.

National Cereals Produce Board managing director Newton Terer said that the agency will take firm action against staff found illegally with fertilizer.

The Ministry of Agriculture has introduced harsh penalties to weed out syndicates in the fertilizer industry as cereal farmers in the North Rift region warned of declined yields due to low quality manure and disease outbreaks.

Livestock Principal Secretary Andrew Tuimur said culprits will be fined Sh500,000 in the new measures aimed at ensuring that farmers are supplied with certified inputs.

“In the past, those found dealing in fake farm inputs were just fined Sh3,000, but with the new Bill they will pay Sh500,000 and in subsequent time Sh1 million,” said the PS who represented the ministry at a committee meeting with farmers and stakeholders in Eldoret town.

Dr Tuimur said that the government was focused on providing affordable farm inputs through construction of Eldoret’s fertilizer blending factory and asked farmers to form co-operatives.

The committee began its two-day tour of the North Rift region to find solutions to issues bedevilling the agriculture sector after the farmers filed a petition on issues including budgetary allocation and fertilizer.

Committee chair Adan Noor on Monday asked the national and county governments to form a team to assess the damage after claims that substandard fertilizer had caused poor maize growth.

FIRM ACTION AGAINST CULPRITS

“I want to ask the ministry, governor and county commissioner to form a team to assess damages. It’s almost certain that the substandard fertilizer caused it,” he added.

The committee visited some farmers, who had complained that the NPK fertilizer 23:23 was to blame for the poor growth of his maize.

National Cereals Produce Board managing director Newton Terer said that the agency will take firm action against staff found illegally with fertilizer.

The board suspended 22 members of staff in May over a suspected syndicate selling fertilizer.

Kephis managing director Esther Kimani said the agency would continue investigating whether there is a link between the fertilizer and poor growth of the maize in the region.

Agriculture PS Richard Lesiyampe ruled out a possible link between subsidized fertilizer and the discoloration of maize in parts of Uasin Gishu County. He said a team of experts certified the input as up to standard.