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AFAP and Toyota Tsusho partner to improve Kenyan Fertilizer Markets

11 Mar 2015
Toyota Tsusho Fertilizers Africa Limited (TTFA) has called on the African Fertilizer and Agribusiness partnership (AFAP) to provide technical project management and market development skills that will bring to fruition a $3 million dollar fertilizer blending plant in western Kenya. The project is part of Kenya’s ‘Vision 2030’ program that plans to transform the country into a newly industrialized middle-income country providing a high quality of life for all its citizens.

When Heads of Government met in Japan in 2013, the President and Vice President of Kenya revealed their plans to advance the manufacture and use of fertilizer in the country to increase agricultural productivity to reduce poverty.

At the signing of the Agribusiness Partnership Contract (APC) between AFAP and TTFA, Jason Scarpone, AFAP President and CEO said, “The Government of Kenya joins many actors in recognizing the importance of agriculture, more importantly improved inputs, to sustainably improve the livelihoods and economies of its citizens.”

“The in-country fertilizer blending plant will help create competitive fertilizer markets in Kenya and its neighbours, and also target 500 000 small-scale farmers who will be able to access fertilizers closer to their locations,” Scarpone said.

TTFA will build a fertilizer blending plant with a capacity of 50 tons and hour and a target to produce a volume of 150 0000 tons of fertilizer by the 2018 season. Feasibility studies conducted in preparations for the blending plant predict that the blending plant will increase yields by 35% from the blended fertilizer.

“By having blends formulated to match the needs to individual crops on specific soil types , smallholder farmers will enjoy production increases of 20 to 30%,” said Akira Wada, CEO of Toyota Tsusho, East Africa. Wada additionally noted that TTFA would be working with AFAP after the launch of the blending facility to conduct demonstration plots to showcase the high impact of properly blended fertilizers.

The two organizations believe that the better fertilizer formulation will improve production, farmer profitability and lead to growth in the fertilizers market, especially the small holder sector.