The Mountain Journal
A consignment of 47,400 metric tonnes of NPK fertilizer for smallholder tea farmers under KTDA factories docked in Mombasa Port on Friday.
The consignment is part of the order placed by the agency of 97,000 metric tonnes meant to support the production of quality green leaf to satisfy the local and international tea market.
KTDA Holding Chairman Enos Njeru says the modalities for offloading, bagging, and transporting the fertilizer upcountry are in place for seamless delivery to the 880,000 tea growers.
“This is the first batch of the total 97,000 metric tonnes procured by the Agency on behalf of farmers with the second ship set to dock in the Mombasa port shortly,” said Njeru.
KTDA Group CEO Wilsomn Muthaura said extension officers will engage the tea growers on the application of the fertiliser to achieve better results at the farm level.
Last year, the first consignment of 47,800 metric tonnes of fertiliser docked in the Mombasa port on October 16.
Moses Kagema a farmer in Makomboki area in Kigumo, Murang’a expressed satisfaction with the agency leadership for the delivery of the farm input.
Kagema said it would be important that in the future the fertilizer is imported early to enable farmers to apply it in their farms for maximum production of the green leaf.
“ There are teething problems in the importation but the leadership at the agency should ensure the same gets into the country early,” said Mr Kagema
