Who buys DAP in Kenya?

Private fertiliser importers who bag at Mombasa and distribute through agro-dealers in the maize and wheat counties, and estates buying direct. The government subsidy programme is supplied through National Cereals and Produce Board tenders, which in 2025-2026 called for NPK planting grades rather than straight DAP. CBIL quotes private importers and does not bid in government tenders.

Which origins can replace Saudi DAP?

Morocco already supplied a fifth of Kenya's DAP and loads at Jorf Lasfar. Jordan loads at Aqaba on the Red Sea, the shortest haul to Mombasa, and Egypt loads on the Red Sea and Mediterranean. Each offer names the producer and the load port.

A bulk Handysize cargo bagged at Mombasa is the cheaper route for an importer with a bagging line. Bags of 50 kg loaded at origin, woven polypropylene with a liner and printed to order, suit a buyer without one. A part-cargo shared with urea or NPK on one ship is common for this market's volumes.

When should a cargo arrive?

Planting fertiliser has to be in the agro-dealers' stores before the rains: at Mombasa by January for the long rains and by August for the short rains. Inland road or rail freight to the maize counties costs about as much as the sea freight and takes time, so the laycan is set back from the planting date.

Can CBIL also fix the ship?

Yes. Our chartering desk, LaycanDesk, prices fertiliser tonnage to Mombasa and Dar es Salaam, so a CFR and an FOB figure can be shown side by side.

East Africa · Kenya

DAP Suppliers CFR Mombasa, Kenya

Planting fertiliser for the maize belt, 81% of it Saudi before the strait was restricted

Kenya declared 129,100 t of DAP imports in 2025 at a landed value of USD 91.7 million, about USD 710 per tonne, after 135,900 t in 2024. Saudi Arabia supplied 104,000 t in 2025 (81%) and Morocco 25,100 t (19%); the split in 2024 was 75% and 24%. Saudi phosphate loads inside the Gulf. The Strait of Hormuz has been severely restricted since 28 February 2026: loadings inside the Gulf move irregularly and are confirmed cargo by cargo. DAP is the planting fertiliser of the maize belt, applied at sowing for the long rains from March to May and the short rains from October to December, so cargoes need to be at Mombasa by January and by August. The government subsidy programme is supplied through consignment tenders run by the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB); its 2025-2026 tender listed planting and top-dressing NPK grades and urea with no straight DAP lot, so DAP moves mainly through private importers and agro-dealers. The subsidised bag price was cut to KSh 2,000 from September 2026, and Kenya's average landed fertiliser cost in the first quarter of 2026 was KSh 73,747 per tonne, the highest since early 2023. Some Saudi product has reached East Africa in 2026 through Omani ports.

Cargoes discharge at Mombasa, where the grain and fertiliser berths take about 11.5 m of draft, by grab to bagging plants alongside. Imports clear against a pre-export verification of conformity to Kenyan standards. CBIL brokers DAP 18-46-0 (N 18% min, P2O5 46% min, moisture 1.5% max, 2-4 mm 90% min) in 10,000 to 25,000 t bulk lots and in 50 kg bags CFR Mombasa, loading Jorf Lasfar in Morocco, Aqaba in Jordan and the Egyptian Red Sea ports, with SGS or Intertek certification at load and the producer named on the certificate of origin. An importer that states its tonnage, packing, laycan and LC-opening bank gets a firm answer; one without them gets a question first.

Also on this lane: Granular Urea

Need the ship as well? Our chartering desk prices DAP and urea freight to Mombasa and Dar es Salaam on LaycanDesk.

The market in figures

Declared imports: 2025: 129,100 t, USD 91.7 million, USD 710/t · 2024: 135,900 t
Origins, 2025: Saudi Arabia 104,000 t (81%) · Morocco 25,100 t (19%)
Subsidy programme: NCPB consignment tenders; 2025-2026 tender had no straight DAP lot · subsidised bag KSh 2,000 from September 2026
Seasons: Planting for the long rains (March-May) and short rains (October-December)
Discharge: Mombasa, fertiliser berths about 11.5 m draft, grab to bagging plants
Parcel: 10,000-25,000 t Handysize bulk, or 50 kg bags

Landed values are the importing country's declared CIF, not CBIL prices.

Questions buyers ask

Who buys DAP in Kenya?: Private fertiliser importers who bag at Mombasa and distribute through agro-dealers in the maize and wheat counties, and estates buying direct. The government subsidy programme is supplied through National Cereals and Produce Board tenders, which in 2025-2026 called for NPK planting grades rather than straight DAP. CBIL quotes private importers and does not bid in government tenders.
Which origins can replace Saudi DAP?: Morocco already supplied a fifth of Kenya's DAP and loads at Jorf Lasfar. Jordan loads at Aqaba on the Red Sea, the shortest haul to Mombasa, and Egypt loads on the Red Sea and Mediterranean. Each offer names the producer and the load port.
Bulk or bagged?: A bulk Handysize cargo bagged at Mombasa is the cheaper route for an importer with a bagging line. Bags of 50 kg loaded at origin, woven polypropylene with a liner and printed to order, suit a buyer without one. A part-cargo shared with urea or NPK on one ship is common for this market's volumes.
When should a cargo arrive?: Planting fertiliser has to be in the agro-dealers' stores before the rains: at Mombasa by January for the long rains and by August for the short rains. Inland road or rail freight to the maize counties costs about as much as the sea freight and takes time, so the laycan is set back from the planting date.
Can CBIL also fix the ship?: Yes. Our chartering desk, LaycanDesk, prices fertiliser tonnage to Mombasa and Dar es Salaam, so a CFR and an FOB figure can be shown side by side.