President William Ruto says the prices of basic food items are starting to decline as a result of a bumper harvest this year.
Speaking to the residents of Kiambu on Thursday, President Ruto expressed optimism that the reduction in food prices is imminent. He attributed this positive outlook to the strategic initiatives implemented by his Kenya Kwanza administration towards the end of 2022 and the beginning of this year.
The President pointed to several contributing factors, including the fertilizer subsidy that led to a reduction in prices from Sh7000 to S.2500. Additionally, he mentioned the widespread heavy rainfall across many regions of the country and the expansion of cultivated land by 200,000 acres in the current year.
Ruto noted that the collective efforts of farmers have resulted in a remarkable increase in food production.
“I want to thank our farmers, kwanza mwaka huu, kwa sababu ya mipango tuliyoweka. Mpango wa kwanza ulikua ni maombi, wa pili ilikua nikuhakikisha tunapunguza bei ya mbolea- kutoka 7000 upto 2500 and we are distributing to all our farmers. Kwa sababu Mungu alitubariki na mvua mwaka huu, wakulima wamelima kuzidi mwaka uliopita, wamelima ekali 200,000 mpya,” he said.
The President said he anticipates a substantial increase in agricultural output this year, with an expected total production of 61 million bags.
“I want to reassure Kenyans, last year we harvested 44 million bags because farmers could not afford the expensive fertilizers. In this year, because we have reduced fertilizer prices, we expect to go up from 44 million bags to 61 million bags,” Ruo said.
The president said his administration will increase fertilizer distribution across the country from 3.5 million bags to 6.5 million bags by next year. Ruto expressed confidence that this concerted effort will eliminate hunger in the country for good.
“We have managed to distribute 3.5 million bags; our plan is that next year we will distribute 6.5 million bags; we want to add another 3 million bags because we want to do away with hunger in this country,” he said.
“It is a big shame that 60 years after independence, there are still people sleeping hungry. We must deal with it with finality.”
