By Bob Aston
”We are working on a new fertilizer
that will also contain calcium and magnesium. When you use fertilizer well you
will be able to get good returns,” said Ndegwa.
Farmers in Sipili Division in
Laikipia County have been urged to ensure that they use correct fertilizer in
farming. Speaking during a meeting on February 7, 2014 convened by
Laikipia Produce and Marketing Co-operative Society, Daniel Ndegwa from MEA Ltd
said proper use of fertilizer will enable the farmers to increase food
production.
Ndegwa told the farmers that in order to enjoy high crop
yield, then it is imperative to use fertilizer. He said that fertilizer use
will enable the farmers to
increase crop yield, improve poor quality land, improve soil texture, recycle
nitrogen and introduce essential bacteria as well as enabling crops to grow
faster.
Ndegwa addressing some of the farmers |
Ndegwa said that when fertilizer is properly applied, it will
create the perfect environment for crops to grow healthfully and quickly. One
bag of fertilizer should be able to earn a farmer close to 20 bags of maize.
Ndegwa
informed the farmers that MEA Ltd has eliminated middle men in order to work
directly with farmers so as to ensure that they get genuine fertilizer. Currently
a bag of MEA fertilizer is retailing at Ksh 3,000.
“We want to ensure that quality is
observed and also that farmers do not get fake fertilizer,” said Ndegwa.
MEA Ltd is a private company that supplies
farm inputs to farmers for the purpose of improving crop production and hence
accelerate agricultural development in Kenya.
Ndegwa said that MEA Ltd is currently
working on a fertilizer which will be able to neutralize acidic soils. He said
leaching due to excessive rainfall or irrigation normally causes soil to be
acidic as key nutrients are normally washed out when there is too much water.
Ndegwa and other MEA Ltd officials follow proceedings |
Calcium helps to maintain chemical
balance in the soil, reduces soil salinity and improves water penetration as
well as neutralizing cell acids. Magnesium is used by plants for the metabolism of
carbohydrates and in the cell membrane stabilization.
”Our work is to ensure that farmers
get good returns. We are the only fertilizer company in Kenya that gives
farmers advisory services and also conduct soil analysis. This makes us to be
proud of our work,” said Ndegwa.
Ndegwa said that they are investing
heavily in ensuring that farmers get the correct type of fertilizer. MEA Ltd
has set up a testing centre where they carry out soil analysis for farmers as
well as having a state of the art fertilizer production facility in Nakuru.
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