Two Phillipine-based companies have agreed to construct bio-organic fertilizer manufacturing plants in Kenya to be located in Laikipia and Nakuru counties by the end of this year.
The two companies, ELR Family Trading Inc and Richfund International Company Ltd agreed to enter into an agreement with a Kenyan start-up Wanda Organic and they will provide immense technical support to the Kenyan company to help in the production of fertilizer that will be branded Plantmate Bio-Organic.
Marion Moon, the founder and Chief Executive of Wanda Organic Company confirmed the reports and said that the new product has been successfully tested in Machakos and Makueni counties where farmers reported up to 30 per cent yield increase.
“The manufacturing plant has successfully been tested in Machakos and Makueni counties and manufacturing fertilizer locally means saving on importation costs of the microbes and these are the benefits we will be passing on to the farmers,” said Marion Moon.
The new fertilizer plant came in as a result of over 40 years of research of biotechnology in Southeast Asia, Australia and the Middle East.
Fertilizer will sell at between Sh2, 000 and Sh2, 500 per 50kg bag when the plants start to be commercially produced. It will contain nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, calcium, micronutrients, probiotics, enzymes, amino acids and growth promoting substances.
“Our product works on the soils physically, biological and chemical properties making it a unique solution in the Kenyan market,” said Ms Moon during the signing of the pact.
Agriculture Secretary Willy Bett who was present during the signing of the agreement asked farmers to access the soil survey report from their county offices; he also said that the project is set for completion in August this year.
The forthcoming fertilizer plant is the latest project after Japanese firm-Toyota Tsusho Corporation signed an agreement with the government in 2014 paving way for construction of a US$ 1bn fertilizer plant in Eldoret.
