Nairobi — Two Catholic bishops on May 11, 2004 urged the government to help control the rise of prices of fertilizers in the North Rift area in the west of the country.

Bishops Cornelius Korir of Eldoret and Maurice Crowley Kitale said that farmers must not have their faces pressed into the soil by exploitative tycoons.

In a statement sent to CISA, the two bishops said high prices of fertilizers would adversely affect the production of maize in Kenya, as the farmers cannot afford it.

"Unless the price are returned to a reasonable level, then many people will be unable to use the fertilizer, which will greatly reduce the production of the crop and lead to famine and further poverty" the statement read in part.