The Agriculture Sector Network (ASNET) has urged the government to expand the Ksh 18 billion e-voucher program to include more agricultural inputs beyond fertilizer. Speaking during the 5th Agriculture Summit held in Nairobi, ASNET Chairman Dr. Bimal Kantaria said the initiative has been instrumental in improving farmers’ access to fertilizer but called for diversification to better meet farmers’ varied needs.
In the current financial year, the government has allocated Ksh 18 billion towards the fertilizer subsidy program, targeting farmers registered under the Kenya Integrated Agriculture Management Information System (KIAMIS). Dr. Kantaria, however, emphasized that the funds could be utilized more effectively if the e-voucher system allowed farmers to choose from a wider range of farm essentials.
“What we are saying is use that Ksh 18 billion and put it in the e-voucher programme. The farmer uses that voucher to go to a shop and instead of just buying fertilizer, he can use it to buy seed or medicine for his animals. Let farmers decide what they want to use the money for,” said Dr. Kantaria.
He added that expanding the program would reduce production costs and allow farmers to access products suited to their unique needs. Kantaria also proposed including soil conditioning materials like lime to improve soil health and productivity.
During the summit, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi challenged sector stakeholders to embrace innovation and technology to boost productivity and reduce Kenya’s reliance on food imports, which currently stand at Ksh 500 billion annually.
Mudavadi underscored the need to reposition agriculture as a technology-driven, competitive business capable of transforming Kenya into a global exporter of value-added agricultural products.
“Farmers hold the power to transform this country from a net importer of food to a global exporter. We must empower them through aggregation centres, cooperatives, and digital marketplaces,” he said.
