By REUBEN OLITA
April 19, 2026| Farmers in Teso North face a bleak harvest after a crippling shortage of Calcium Ammonium Nitrate (CAN) fertiliser—a critical input for maize top-dressing.
James Etyang, a small-scale farmer from Amagoro, says his two-acre maize farm is already wilting after weeks without subsidised CAN.
“I have been visiting the Malaba Cereals Board depot for three weeks. Nothing,” he says.
The depot has only DAP fertiliser—useless for top-dressing at this stage. Meanwhile, Etyang’s maize turns yellow by the day.
“Every time, they say only DAP is available. Our maize is yellowing. We don’t know if CAN will ever come.”
He had budgeted KSh 5,000 for two subsidised bags at KSh 2,500 each. Now he is stranded. Private agrovets charge between KSh 3,500 and KSh 4,000 per bag—far beyond his reach.
“At that price, how can we afford it? How is the government helping us?”
Etyang also accuses depot officials of favouring outsiders—some buying lorry-loads while locals leave empty-handed.
“Outsiders get priority. Locals suffer in silence.”
He questions the entire distribution system: text messages urge farmers to collect fertiliser, but the stores are bare.
“They message us to come. There is nothing. Is this a gimmick?”
Farmers are now demanding urgent government intervention. Any more delay, they warn, and this season’s harvest will collapse.
“We appeal for fair distribution. This fertiliser is for farmers. Why is it so hard to get?”
With living costs already crushing, many fear the shortage will deepen hunger and hardship across the region.
“Has fertiliser distribution become a hide-and-seek game?” Etyang asks. “Only time will tell.”