{"id":838,"date":"2026-10-20T10:43:38","date_gmt":"2026-10-20T10:43:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jukwaapress.co.ke\/?p=838"},"modified":"2026-10-20T10:49:26","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T10:49:26","slug":"ruto-cuts-fertiliser-prices-to-ksh-2000-as-government-targets-lower-food-production-costs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jukwaapress.co.ke\/?p=838","title":{"rendered":"Ruto Cuts Fertiliser Prices to KSh 2,000 as Government Targets Lower Food Production Costs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"368\" src=\"https:\/\/jukwaapress.co.ke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/IMG_9689-1.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-840\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jukwaapress.co.ke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/IMG_9689-1.jpeg 576w, https:\/\/jukwaapress.co.ke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/IMG_9689-1-300x192.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>President William Ruto during the 2026 Mashujaa Day celebrations at Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret.<\/em><br><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">President William Ruto\u2019s administration has reduced the price of subsidised fertiliser to KSh 2,000 per 50-kilogramme bag, down from KSh 2,500, in a move aimed at lowering farming costs and supporting food production in Kenya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The government has also introduced a 50 per cent subsidy on certified maize seeds, reducing the price from KSh 300 to KSh 150 per kilogramme. The measures are intended to help farmers affected by drought prepare for the planting season and increase agricultural production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the interventions form part of the government\u2019s efforts to make farm inputs more affordable, protect agricultural output and strengthen national food security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Government Targets Higher Food Production<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Speaking at the Agriculture and Food Security Transformation Summit in Nairobi on October 8, 2026, President Ruto said the government was lowering production costs to help farmers maintain and increase food output.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The President has also linked lower farming costs to efforts to ease the cost of living, arguing that increasing food production can improve supply and make essential commodities more affordable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On October 19, during a meeting with elders in Eldoret, Ruto reiterated that supporting farmers to produce more food was central to addressing the cost of living.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Digital System for Fertiliser Distribution<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The government has also highlighted its digital farmer registration and voucher system as a way of improving access to subsidised fertiliser.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under the system, registered farmers use government-issued vouchers to obtain fertiliser through designated distribution channels. The government says the arrangement is intended to limit interference by brokers and ensure that support reaches eligible farmers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What It Means for Farmers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The lower fertiliser price means a farmer purchasing a 50-kilogramme bag saves KSh 500 compared with the previous subsidised price. The maize seed subsidy is also expected to reduce the initial cost of planting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, farmers still face other expenses, including labour, transport, fuel and land preparation. The impact of the subsidies on overall production costs will depend partly on farmers\u2019 access to the inputs and their ability to produce sufficient harvests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The government maintains that reducing the cost of agricultural inputs will support farmers, improve food availability and strengthen Kenya\u2019s food security.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>President William Ruto\u2019s administration has reduced the price of subsidised fertiliser to KSh 2,000 per&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-838","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-agriculture"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jukwaapress.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/838","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jukwaapress.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jukwaapress.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jukwaapress.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jukwaapress.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=838"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/jukwaapress.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/838\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":844,"href":"https:\/\/jukwaapress.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/838\/revisions\/844"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jukwaapress.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=838"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jukwaapress.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=838"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jukwaapress.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=838"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}