President William Ruto has said that his government is focused on supporting farmers to produce more food in a bid to reduce the cost of food during the new year.
Speaking while ushering in the new year in Mombasa on Saturday, December 31, 2022, the president defended the removal of subsidies in commodities maintaining that the government has saved huge sums of money by the move.
He said that already the government has secured several tonnes of subsidized fertilizer, which will be available to farmers in January 2023.
The president further added that the government will use government land to ensure that there is enough land for producing enough seeds.
"The permanent solution towards matters of reducing our cost of food is not subsidy, it is to support our farmers to produce more food," the president said.
Read More
He further maintained that when he took office, he had to make some difficult decisions on the economy because the country was not doing well.
The Head of State said that the decision to remove subsidies on some commodities was meant to lay the foundation for a better economy.
"The decisions about some subsidies in unga, fuel, and electricity that were not informed by the science of our economy could cost our economy big time.
"We did away with those subsidies in August and I'm happy that we have saved our economy huge amounts of money and we are now well on the way to making sure we invest in the areas that will drive our economy in a sustainable manner," president Ruto said.
