In
North Rift and South Rift, the planting season is here. As per the
previous years, maize farmers are anticipating the seasonal rainfall to
kick in by 25th March to 1st April 2016.
As
farmers anticipate the seasonal rains, a ship carrying 38 metric tonnes
of NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium) docked at the port of Mombasa
on Monday (14 March 2016). This is the first ship that has docked.
Another ship is on its way at the high seas. The second ship is laden
with 33 metric tonnes of DAP.
The
commodity will be available at the National Cereals and Produce Board
(NCPB) depots by mid-next week. This high number of bags is expected to
bring down the the fertilizer prices in Kenya by the end of March.
The second ship, as indicated above, is carrying 33 metric tonnes of DAP. This is equivalent to 660,000 bags of DAP.
Once the second ship docks and is offloaded, a third ship will be expected to dock. This third ship is carrying CAN fertilizer.
The third ship is carrying 37.4 metric tonnes of CAN. This translates to 748,000 bags of CAN.
Summary
NPK- The ship has already docked with 660,000 bags of NPK.
CAN- 760,000 bags are on the high seas.
DAP- 748,000 bags are on the high seas.