NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 26 – Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya has castigated MPs for their constant criticism of the government over skyrocketing fertilizer prices that is threatening to compound food security concerns.
Munya said the State was not to blame for the soaring prices, noting that the problem was global and occasioned by the war in Ukraine and Russia that has affected export of the commodity given that the two countries are the lead exporters.
He asked legislators to stop playing politics with the issue and instead do due diligence of appropriating funds for fertilizer subsidies in parliament in a bid to lower the cost of commodity and save the country from imminent food shortage.
“Politicians have perfected the art of politicizing everything in public instead of offering solutions,” the CS hit out, saying that there was a lot of good that the government had done to improve the agricultural sector.
Speaking at Runyenjes Stadium in Embu East Sub- County on Friday while donating assorted food crop seeds to farmers, Munya said coffee and tea sector were on path to recovery following the reforms instituted by the government.
He said tea earnings had improved tremendously and farmers were getting their monthly payments on time as well as the mini and annual bonus following reforms including setting of reserve price and streamlining of Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA).
“Small scale tea farmers are being paid Sh. 21 every month per kilo of green leaf,” the CS said while calling on KTDA to fastrack processing and payment of the annual bonus before the close of the financial year in July.
The CS said coffee farmers were yet to reap maximum benefits of reforms in the sector following failure by the National Assembly to enact the Coffee Bill 2021 that was aimed at streamlining the whole crop value chain from production to marketing.
“Despite the President approving transmittal of the Bill to Parliament early last year, the new law is just gathering dust in the National Assembly as MPs go round the country playing cheap politics with farmers’ woes,” Munya complained.
He said Kenya was an agricultural country and anyone willing to change it positively must start by improving the sector.
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