Farmers tipped on right fertiliser usage

Less than 8 percent of households use fertilizers and at low application rates. A major constraint is poor knowledge at the farm level on the benefits of fertilizer and agronomic practices required to achieve high productivity. This has led to low adoption rates.

According to a 2015 study by the International Growth Centre (IGC), the fertilizer market in Uganda is plagued by low-quality fertilizer meaning the fertilizer in the market is adulterated.

At least eight in every 10 50-kilogramme inorganic fertiliser bags on the Ugandan market do not meet the minimum quality standards

This is partly as a result of the 206 fertilizer policy which has a lot of gaps to control the quality of fertilizer entering in the country.

As such Scientists at the Soils Unit at the National Agricultural Research Laboratories (NaRL) in Kawanda were tasked to review the policy to suit importation of quality fertilizer which farmers can adopt to improve their crop yields.

Adulteration of fertilizer

According to Dr Crammer Kayuki Kaizzi, a senior research officer at NaRL, adulterated fertilizer as a commercial fertilizer that contains a harmful substance in an amount that could harm beneficial plants.

A commercial fertilizer is any substance that contains one or more plant nutrients and once applied in the soil, it is supposed to improve the soil nutrient to enable good growth and increase yield. A fertilizer is said to be adulterated when it contains harmful or toxic ingredient or unwanted crop or weed seeds in quantities sufficient to harm the plant when applied according to the directions on the label.

Most common fertilizer used by farmers in Uganda

Dr Kaizi and his team, when reviewing the fertilizer policy went different regions in Central, Eastern and Northern Uganda, to establish which fertilizers are sold in agro input shops to farmers

The team discovered most inputs supply Diammonium phosphate (DAP) which is a water soluble fertilizer that is high in phosphorus and nitrogen. It is the third most common fertilizer used in Uganda.

Urea is made up of carbon, hydrogens, nitrogen and oxygen. It has a carbonyl functional group, which is a carbon double bonded to oxygen and two nitrogen group and it contains 46 percent nitrogen.

NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) which are the three main nutrients that plants require for growth. It contain these three nutrients. The proportion of each nutrient in a fertilizer is called the NPK ratio and it's usually listed on the fertilizer's packaging as three numbers.

In the case of Sugar cane the Ratio is 17:17:17 and for tea the ratio is 25:5:5 +5 sulphate

Muriate of potash is made up of potassium chloride (KCl), a chemical compound that contains 52 percent potassium and 48 percent chlorine by weight

MOP is a type of potash fertilizer, which is a general term for agricultural fertilizers that contain potassium. Potassium is an essential plant nutrient that can be deficient in soils due to continuous cultivation. Replenishing potassium in the soil can help crops grow well and use other nutrients, like nitrogen and phosphorus, more efficiently.

MOP is the most commonly used source of potassium fertilizer and is used in a large portion of commercial crops, including cereals, maize, rice, and soybeans. It has a white, granular texture and is ideal for precision application in agriculture.

Other types of potash fertilizers include:

Sulfate of potash (SoP)

It contains 42% potassium and is used by crops that can't tolerate chlorine, like fruits and vegetables

Nitrate of potash (NoP)

A specialty form used for chlorine-sensitive crops, like certain fruits and vegetables

Sulfate of potash magnesia (SoPM)

A specialty form that contains magnesium and is used by specialty crops that can't tolerate chlorine.

Polyhalite

A specialty product that contains sulfur, calcium, and magnesium, and is suitable for chlorine-sensitive plants

Potassium Chloride | Mosaic Crop Nutrition

Potassium (K) fertilizers are commonly used to overcome plant deficiencies. Where soils cannot supply the amount of K required by farmers.

Policy Review

National Agriculture Research Organisation’s Dr George Lukwango said the Uganda Fertilizer Policy must work hand in hand with the policies in other East African region.

It is the reason the policy was harmonised for the fertilizer industry to strictly adhere to the specifications of the fertilizer control regulations.

Quality of fertilizer in Uganda

The fertilizer use in the country is low standing at 1.5kg per hectare far below the average rate for Africa. This is attributed to poor agronomic practices, limited fertilizer knowledge by farmers and poor fertilizer quality in Ugandan markets.

To address this challenge the 2016 fertilizer policy was put in place to curb this challenge.

The fertilizer quality in the market is still challenge the reason the scientists made a rapid assessment by visiting different cities, towns and trading centres where agro input dealers operate.

The findings indicated that the different fertilizer types, the quality was lacking apart from Sugarcane and tea farming which is controlled by sugar companies and tea companies who are strict on fertilizer quality.

Gaps in the policy

The 2016 fertilizer policy is silent about what the farmer can benefit after using fertilizer in their farms. The Policy does not discuss the rate at which soils are depleting and it does not state how much farmers must use fertilizer per year.

The team recommended the policy to be reviewed after every five years for quality control

The fertilizer in the market must be the same in other East African countries to maintain quality and if a farmer uses quality fertilizer, the quality applied will be less and this is cost effective

Farmer’s voice

Mr William Mbonigaba, a farmer from Mitoma district started growing tea in 2020. This is after retiring as social worker.

He started with potting tea with seedlings he obtained from fellow farmers in his home backyard.

Her then interacted with farmers who advised him to apply fertilizer in order to acquire quality leaves.

He also began attending sensitization meetings especially by soil scientists at Naro on purchasing quality fertilizer and apply the right quantity.

Last year he applied 50kg of NPK per acre. Each 50kg of NPK costs Shs140, 000-Shs150, 000 though some were donations from Naro.

He started plucking tea leaves this year and he was able to pluck 150kg fromthe entire garden.

Tea farmers are expected to puck 2 leaves plus one bud to meet processors need.