KTDA to import 1.98M fertiliser bags for 750,000 tea farmers ahead of 2026/27 season
KTDA will import 99,000 tonnes of NPK fertiliser for smallholder tea farmers as it continues supporting productivity through its fertiliser credit programme.
KENYA – The Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) Management Services will import 99,000 metric tonnes of NPK 26:5:5 fertiliser, equivalent to 1.98 million 50-kilogramme bags, for more than 750,000 smallholder tea farmers during the 2026/27 production season.
According to a notice issued by the agency, the first fertiliser consignment is expected to arrive in Kenya between August and September, allowing distribution to tea-growing regions ahead of the October short rains.
The planned import is slightly lower than the 99,875 metric tonnes procured during the previous season. KTDA said the fertiliser will be bagged at the port before being transported to tea factories and buying centres for distribution to farmers.
“This notice is a follow up to the tender for the transportation of bags, Tender Ref KTDA/043/2026 which appeared in the local dailies in April, and after the review of various rates tendered, KTDA has approved a rate of Sh17.79 for factories in Zone A and Sh15 for factories in Zone B and C as detailed in the tender document. The approved rates are per tonne per kilometre inclusive of VAT,” the notice stated.
The agency said bagging the chemically compounded NPK 26:5:5 fertiliser at the port will facilitate efficient distribution to farmers through the nearest tea buying centres, reducing additional transport costs that growers would otherwise incur when collecting fertiliser from factory stores.
KTDA noted that the final cost of a 50-kilogramme bag will depend on several market factors, including the price of natural gas used in fertiliser production, foreign exchange rates, global supply constraints, crude oil prices and shipping costs.
The agency will continue implementing its fertiliser credit scheme, which allows tea farmers to pay for fertiliser in instalments over several months. The programme is intended to ease the financial burden associated with purchasing one of the most important production inputs for tea farming.
The fertiliser import programme comes as KTDA continues to raise concerns over declining demand for Kenyan tea in international markets.
KTDA Chairman Enos Njeru recently attributed the slowdown in exports to the introduction of a 0.8% levy on tea exports, saying the additional charge has increased the cost of Kenyan tea and prompted some international buyers to reduce or suspend purchases.
According to Njeru, the reduced demand has resulted in a buildup of unsold tea stocks in warehouses.
He has urged the government to remove the export levy, arguing that doing so would help restore buyer confidence, improve tea exports and increase earnings and bonus payments for millions of smallholder tea farmers who depend on the crop for their livelihoods.
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