MEA Fertilizers: Fertilizers, Blends, Soil Analysis and Fertilizer Analysis in Kenya and East Africa

Titus Gitau, Executive Director of MEA Fertilizers, presents the company. Since its creation in 1977, MEA Fertilizers has become Kenya and East Africa’s premier supplier of inputs for crop production.

“The sector itself is very competitive. We have many players importing fertilizer into Kenya and East Africa. It is a commodity driven game so it is largely volume and price. It is cutthroat. It is a question of differentiating oneself from others. That is why we have other services even on the straight import side. We do soil analysis, fertilizer analysis, and we have a specific lab for that. We have also gone into bio organics as well. MEA has differentiated itself quite a bit in this sector, and not just from the longevity of 40 years’ experience in this sector in Kenya and East Africa. We are the only producers in this sector in terms of manufacturing blends. Toyota has recently entered just as a blender in the last two years. But we combine both straight imports and blending. Now, we are going into the actual manufacturing of NPKs for the first time in sub-Saharan Africa. Our first competitive advantage is brand loyalty. Farmers are very conservative. They will go with the brand they trust. There have been instances where farmers have not gotten value for their money by using just any brand because speculators also come into this sector. So, farmers want to go with the brand that they know. Secondly, the volumes that we bring in allow us to be competitive. Thirdly, we have built up a very good track record with both manufacturers and suppliers over the last 20 to 30 years. That gives us a distinct advantage and a good distribution network within Kenya and East Africa. We have built up a trustable distribution system. In Kenya alone, we have 6,000 wholesalers and distributors. That is a very key component to making sure you are getting your product out into the market at the right time and at the right price”, says Titus Gitau.

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