By George Munene
The Ministry of Agriculture has identified Kericho County as the first location for trials on the use of semi-organic fertiliser.
“According to small-scale trials run by the Kenya Agriculture and Livestock Organisation (KALRO) in conjunction with the Kenya Plant and Health Inspectorate (KEPHIS), the semi-organic fertiliser increased maize productivity by 49,” said Agriculture CS Mithika Linturi to farmers chosen to pilot the program in Kericho.
He informed that the government had issued a permit to the manufacturer of the fertiliser whose composition is half synthetic and half organic.
The fertiliser marries the benefits of organic fertilisers– improving soil structure, texture, and aeration while increasing its capacity for retaining water and encouraging root development– with the fast-acting and easy portability of synthetic fertilser.
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The agriculture CS said urged farmers to register for the Kenya Management Information System (KIAMIS) as the countrywide target number of farmers had not been reached.
The digitisation program is aimed at enhancing transparency in the supply of subsidised government inputs and support programs within Kenyan agriculture as well as identifying potential produce markets.
“The Safaricom network being used by NCPB to serve registerd farmers has had hitches even collapsing at times leaving farmers who got the text message waiting for long periods to be served, said Kericho Deputy Governor Fred Kirui.
