Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore. PHOTO | SALATON NJAU
NATION MEDIA GROUP
Safaricom has been contracted to pilot an electronic-based
fertiliser distribution system that will avail the farm input to farmers
early and help eliminate corruption from the subsidy scheme.
The
ministry of Agriculture has said that ‘E-fertilizer Subsidy Management
System’ will enable it to issue electronic vouchers directly to farmers
through their mobile phones.
“Our solution, should the
pilot be successful, will allow us to increase transparency in the
allocation of fertiliser to over 3.5 million smallholder farmers across
the country using mobile phones,” said Agriculture principal secretary,
Ms Sicily Kariuki.
The system works using data and SMS
services to manage the issuance, redemption and reconciliation of
vouchers from farmers; it is managed by Safaricom.
SIGNED UP IN THE SYSTEM
Ms Kariuki said that existing agro dealers and fertiliser providers are being signed up into the system by the ministry.
Collected
information will be used to verify and vet farmers. The farmers can
request, redeem and reconcile vouchers through their handsets.
The
piloting begins in Uasin Gishu, Trans Nzoia and Bungoma counties in
preparation for the next season of subsidy fertiliser distribution.
“Mobile
technology has the ability to revolutionise traditional distribution
models. This turn-key solution is just one of several that Safaricom
hopes will transform the operations of businesses across Kenya,” said
Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore.
Farmers will then use the vouchers like cash to purchase the inputs from agro-dealers. This will help get rid of middlemen.
It will also ease the distribution and avail fertiliser to farmers before the planting season starts.
“As
at the beginning of May, a total of 510,000 tonnes of various types of
fertilisers had been imported against an estimated demand of 490,000
tonnes,” said Ms Kariuki.
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