Fertilizer imports to Kenya dropped by 25.9 percent last year, which is expected to hurt food and cash crop production amid tightening supply.
Statistics released by Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) show Kenya imported 4.42 million bags last year to settle for 632,074 metric tonnes less than a five-year high of 853,113 metric tonnes imported in 2017.
Kenya Flower Council (KFC) chief executive Clement Tulezi said the shortfall, blamed on stringent import terms, will see peasants and large-scale commercial farms compromise on the application of fertilizer, which could derail successes witnessed last year in local and export sales.
“Port clearance hurdles and hefty inspection costs, as well as demurrage charges, have made fertilizer too costly for farmers with two key fertilizer importers withdrawing from the trade citing regulatory frustrations,” he said.