Fertiliser change pays off for maize farmers
Trans Nzoia County Governor, Patrick Khaemba and Athi River Mining's, Pradeep Paunrana during the launching of Mavuno fertilizer for planting, in the county, in February 2015. FILE PHOTO | JARED NYATAYA | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- A switch from using DAP fertiliser to Mavuno NPK has paid off for maize farmers in Kakamega, according to the county government.
- Maskan Shikoli, a maize farmer, said his 2.5 acre farms usually gives him 15 bags of maize but he expects 30 bags this season due to the new fertiliser.
A switch from using DAP fertiliser to Mavuno NPK has paid off for maize farmers in Kakamega, according to the county government.
Kakamega County Executive for Agriculture Kulati Wange noted that they carried a series of tests on farms, which revealed the soils were acid, prompting the change of fertiliser.
“Our option was to buy lime or use a lime enhancing fertiliser to neutralise the acidity. We went for the latter,” the officer said, noting the county then introduced the NPK subsidised fertiliser at Sh1,800 per 50kg bag.
Meera Paunrana, operations manager at ARM Cement Ltd, the makers of Mavuno fertiliser, said besides the lime enhancing component, their fertilisers are also crop specific, giving farmers a variety to choose from.
Maskan Shikoli, a maize farmer, said his 2.5 acre farms usually gives him 15 bags of maize but he expects 30 bags this season due to the new fertiliser.
