Nairobi — President William Ruto today announced the second phase of the fertilizer subsidy program, which will see a 50-kg bag of fertilizer now cost Sh2,500, down from Sh3,500.

Addressing the nation on Wednesday at the Statehouse in Nairobi, Ruto said affordable fertilizer will boost crop production in the coming short rain season.

Ruto encouraged farmers across the country to redouble the use of the subsidized fertilizers distributed by the government at the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) in order to increase production, thus lowering the high cost of living.

"We expect significant high uptake of the subsidized fertilizer, we are appealing to our farmers to redouble the use of 50kg bags of fertilizer per acre to get more yields ranging from 20 to 25 bags harvested per acre," he stated.

The President added that his government will increase farmers credit kits from Sh2 million to Sh10 million so that farmers can access affordable credit loans to buy farm Inputs.

Additionally, 100 dryer machines will be distributed to farmers at an affordable rate in all NCPB offices across the country, where the government will cover half of the cost of the purchase.

So far, 3 million bags of subsidized fertilizer have been supplied to farmers since the government launched the first phase of the fertilizer subsidy program.