Kenya's fertiliser dealers call for lower transport costs

Date: 5/3/2013

Fertiliser dealers in Kenya have called on the Government to improve the country's rail system in a bid to reduce transportation costs, which currently account for a significant proportion of the commodity's retail price.

The Daily Nation reported that David Shikuku, Sales Manager for the Fertiliser Association of Kenya, told a workshop in Nairobi that modernisation would serve as a welcome boost to local farmers.

Mr Shikuku explained that refurbishing the rail network could "reduce transportation costs, subsequently cutting fertiliser retail prices by almost 60 per cent" as the country looks to reduce its reliance on imports.

With plans to build a fertiliser manufacturing plant in Kenya by 2015, the aim is to drive down the cost of the product that is key to the nation's agricultural sector.

Indeed, with the commodity currently transported by road, shifting the process to the rail network could make it both cheaper and more efficient.

Posted by Nick Anderson

International Transport News and Sustainable Transport News