Farmers Report Higher Returns as Fertilizer Costs Fall

Farmers across the country are reporting improved returns from agriculture following a significant reduction in the cost of fertilizer.

The lower input costs are allowing farmers to spend less on production while retaining a larger share of their earnings, with coffee growers particularly citing improved payments alongside cheaper fertilizer as a major boost to their livelihoods.

Simon Mungei, a coffee farmer, says the reduction in fertilizer prices has helped him cut farming costs while increasing his returns.

He says government intervention to make fertilizer more affordable has benefited farmers, particularly those growing coffee, while also supporting maize production. 

Mungei says farmers previously faced high production costs at a time when coffee earnings were low, leaving them with limited returns from their work.

"Previously, farmers struggled because fertilizer was expensive, yet coffee earnings were low. Coffee payments used to be around Ksh40 to Ksh50, but now farmers are getting about Ksh100 to Ksh130, and with cheaper fertilizer, more of the benefit remains in the farmer’s pocket," he said.

Wifenzio Njeru, chairman of Kirurumwe Farmers Cooperative Society Limited in Embu, says changes in the coffee sector have made farming easier and more rewarding, with farmers also receiving payments faster.

He attributes the changes to government interventions and reforms in the coffee sector, including the Coffee Act reforms, renewed oversight and lower fertilizer prices.

Njeru says the reforms have also created opportunities for women and young people to participate more actively in coffee farming and access better markets.

"The reforms are also supporting youth and women in coffee farming, including programmes such as Women in Coffee and efforts to connect farmers to better markets," he noted.

Njeru says coffee farmers previously faced several challenges, including low earnings, delayed payments and limited access to professional agricultural advice.

"The changes are now improving farmers’ lives, helping them educate their children, feed their families, access healthcare and raise their standard of living through better coffee income," he added.

Daisy Wanjiru Macharia, a farmer and tea picker from Kabonge in Kirinyaga, says earnings for tea workers have also improved, although she believes the current rates remain insufficient to meet household needs.

She says the government should consider the welfare of both farmers and casual tea workers, arguing that better returns for farmers could create room for improved wages for workers.

Macharia says the amount earned from tea picking can be difficult to divide among basic household expenses, including food and education.

"Even when I get about Ksh150, it is hard to divide that money between school fees, food and other household needs. I appeal for support so that tea workers and farmers can earn enough to live better," she stated.

Richard Wachira Mwangi, a coffee farmer from Mathira Constituency, says the availability of cheaper fertilizer has reduced production costs and allowed farmers to benefit more from their farms.

He says the government should maintain support for farmers by keeping fertilizer and coffee chemicals affordable while also addressing the prices farmers receive for their produce.

Mwangi says high fertilizer and chemical costs previously placed farmers under pressure because their production expenses were high while their earnings remained low.

"Previously, farmers were under pressure because the cost of production was high while returns were low, but the current support has made things look better for farmers," she noted.

Notably, the reduction in fertilizer prices is part of President William Ruto's agricultural intervention launched shortly after he took office in September 2022, when the government sought to lower production costs and increase food output.

At his inauguration on September 13, 2022, Ruto announced that 1.4 million 50-kilogram bags of fertilizer would be sold to farmers at a subsidized price of Ksh3,500, compared with the prevailing price of about Ksh6,500.

The programme was subsequently expanded, with the government reducing the price to Ksh2,500 in 2023.

By 2024, the government said it had distributed 8.6 million bags, up from 1.4 million bags in 2022.

In August 2026, Ruto announced another reduction in the subsidized fertilizer price, saying a 50-kilogram bag would fall from Ksh2,500 to Ksh2,000.

The government has also expanded farmer registration and digital targeting to improve the distribution of subsidized agricultural inputs. By 2024, more than six million farmers had reportedly been registered.

The cheaper inputs have coincided with increased maize production compared with the drought-hit 2022 season, although the improvement cannot be attributed to fertilizer alone.

Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics shows that maize was cultivated on approximately 2.11 million hectares in 2022, with the area increasing to about 2.43 million hectares in 2023 before falling slightly to approximately 2.41 million hectares in 2024.

Maize production increased from 34.25 million 90-kilogram bags in 2022 to 47.61 million bags in 2023 before declining to 44.76 million bags in 2024.

Average maize yields also rose from roughly 1.46 tonnes per hectare in 2022 to about 1.76 tonnes per hectare in 2023, before falling to approximately 1.67 tonnes per hectare in 2024.

The agricultural recovery has been broader than fertilizer intervention alone, with increased land under cultivation and improved rainfall in 2023 also helping production recover from the severe drought recorded in 2022.

Other subsectors have also recorded gains, with sugar production rising by 72.5 percent from 472,800 tonnes in 2023 to 815,500 tonnes in 2024. 

Coffee production increased by 1.8 percent to 49,500 tonnes in 2024, while tea production rose by 4.9 percent to 598.5 million kilograms.

Milk production also increased, with government figures showing growth from 4.6 billion litres in 2022 to about 5.2 billion litres in 2024.

However, the recovery has not been uniform across agriculture, with the value of horticultural exports falling by 12.9 percent to Ksh136.6 billion in 2024.

The improvement in domestic food production has also coincided with lower maize imports. 

Imports fell from approximately 793,752 tonnes in 2022 to about 309,300 tonnes in 2024, representing a 39.1 percent decline.