The Government has announced a 50 per cent reduction in the price of certified maize seed and a further cut in the cost of subsidised fertiliser as it moves to cushion farmers from drought-related losses and sustain food production.
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said the Government will absorb half the cost of certified maize seed, reducing the price paid by farmers from Sh300 to Sh150 per kilogramme.
The intervention will see the price of a 2kg packet fall from Sh600 to Sh300, while a 10kg pack will retail at Sh1,500, down from Sh3,000. A 25kg pack will similarly cost Sh3,750 instead of Sh7,500.
The Government will also lower the price of a 50kg bag of subsidised fertiliser from Sh2,500 to Sh2,000.
The subsidy is expected to cost the Government an estimated Sh6 billion and will cover about 40 million kilogrammes of maize seed. Kagwe said farmers will obtain the subsidised inputs through Government-designated distribution channels.
The move follows President William Ruto’s announcement that the price of maize seed would be cut by half from September 2026, as the administration intensifies its shift from subsidising consumption to supporting agricultural production.
The strategy seeks to reduce the cost of farm inputs, improve productivity and strengthen the country’s food security by enabling farmers to produce more at lower cost.
The Government has already significantly reduced fertiliser prices under the National Fertilizer Subsidy Programme. In 2022, a 50kg bag retailed at about Sh7,500 before being reduced to Sh2,500 through the subsidy programme.
Since the programme began, about 33.55 million 50kg bags of subsidised fertiliser have been distributed to approximately 1.98 million farmers, with Government support estimated at Sh78.79 billion.
The interventions have coincided with a significant increase in maize production. National output rose from 34.3 million 90kg bags in 2022 to 73 million bags in 2025, while maize imports fell by more than 66.5 per cent over the same period.
Despite the gains, the Government is preparing for possible supply pressures arising from drought and other climate-related challenges that have affected production in key maize-growing areas.
The Government has announced plans to import 25 million 90kg bags of maize to bridge an anticipated deficit and guard against shortages.
Kagwe said on August 19 that arrangements for the imports had already been put in place, assuring Kenyans that the Government was taking measures to safeguard national food security despite the prevailing production challenges.
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