Kenya cuts fertilizer and maize seed prices

The Government of Kenya, through the Kenya — Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, announced a further reduction in the prices of subsidized fertilizer and certified maize seed to cushion farmers from drought-related losses and enable them to resume production. Under the new intervention, a 50kg bag of subsidized fertilizer will retail at KSh 2,000, down from KSh 2,500, while the government will cover 50% of the cost of certified maize seed, reducing the farmer's price from KSh 300 to KSh 150 per kilogramme. The maize seed subsidy targets approximately 40 million kilogrammes, with an estimated government cost of KSh 6 billion. Agriculture CS Mutahi Kagwe stated that these measures are part of President William Ruto's administration's shift from subsidising consumption to subsidising production by lowering input costs. Since 2022, the National Fertilizer Subsidy Programme has distributed about 33.55 million 50kg bags of subsidized fertilizer to nearly 1.98 million farmers, with government support of approximately KSh 78.79 billion. Maize production increased from 34.3 million 90kg bags in 2022 to 73 million bags in 2025, while maize imports declined by more than 66.5% over the same period. The government aims to protect these gains and ensure that drought-affected farmers can afford to plant the next crop.