Nairobi — The National Cereals and Produce Board will vet those buying fertiliser that the Government has imported to ensure only genuine farmers benefited.

"The board will verify that those purchasing fertiliser are genuine farmers and not businessmen out to rip off farmers and if anyone is found masquerading as a farmer action will be taken against them," said the board public relations manager Kipserem Maritim.

To address the problem of middlemen buying the commodity and later selling it to farmers at higher prices, Mr Maritim said board would utilise the information it has on each farmer's acreage to determine the amount of fertiliser they need.

The Government imported 12,500 metric tonnes of fertiliser, to address a shortage in the country. Mr Maritim said MV Renata from Romania, which was carrying the Calcium Ammonium Nitrate used as top dressing for crops like maize, docked in Mombasa on Saturday.

"With this consignment, we assure farmers that there are sufficient quantities of fertiliser to meet the requirements of this season," he said, adding that farmers should avoid buying it from middle men who he said sell it expensively.

"The fertiliser is aimed at cushioning farmers against the global skyrocketing as a result of high fuel prices," he said.

Mr Maritim was however non-committal on whether the retail price of the fertiliser would be subsidised, and said the government would announce prices as soon as possible.

And addressing KNA at the Nakuru cereals board silos as he witnessed the off-loading of the first consignment, the Board's South Rift Regional Manager Patrick Mwangi said he expects to receive at least 34,000 bags to cater for the Rift Valley region.

Highly subsidised

Mr Mwangi said the Government was offering a highly subsidised price which he said would be announced later in the day.

Farmers have had to grapple with skyrocketing prices that have reached highs of Sh2,800 for a 50 kg bag in some areas, despite prices of maize remaining at 1,300 per 90 kg bag.