Govt To Destroy 27,518 Bags of Expired Fertilizer

The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock has ordered for the destruction of 27,518 bags of expired fertilizer consignment which are in National Cereals and Produce Board  (NCPB) depots across the country.

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe issued the directive to destroy the fertilizer upon realization by NCBP that the consignment had a shorter shelf-life.

According to the ministry, owner of the consignment, FineTech Edge Limited, was contracted to deliver 34,100bags of 50kg Sulphate of Ammonia (21%) fertilizer between December 27, 2024 and January 6, 2025.

The fertilizer were cleared by the the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) prior to contract execution after tests results from samples showed the firm had complied with the requirement for Sulphate of Ammonia (21%N) and NPK fertilizers as per Kenyan standards.

NCPB noted the short shelf-life of the fertilizer upon supply, which was to lapse on February 28th, 2025, as indicated in the packaging material.

“The supplier was notified of the same and requested to deliver fertilizer with a longer shelf life, as the entire consignment was unlikely to be sold by the end of February. Per standard operating procedures, the unsold fertilizer would not be released to the market and would be safely destroyed,” said Kagwe in a statement.

The NCPB management issued a sale stoppage order of the same consignment on February 27,  2025 prompting KEBS to seized the fertilizer on March 4, 2025 and has stopped any movement of the same until safe destruction.

FineTech Edge Ltd is now expected to bear bear the costs, and loss.

In line with the directive, Kagwe says the government is committed to ensure farmers access the highest quality of farm inputs and that public health and environmental standards are upheld.

He further called on players in the sector to take-up insurance to mitigate such losses given that the government and Kenyan public will not incur any loss or costs.