Farmers in Nakuru continue selling potatoes using extended bags even after the Directive by Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Felix Koskei of selling using 50kgs bags only.
Earlier this month, Koskei had issued a directive that potato be packed in 50kgs bags to reduce middlemen exploitation and wastage. He said that farmers will continue to live in poverty as production declines due to middleman exploitation.
“Farmers and some middlemen have been violating the law on packaging farm produce that prescribes that all packaged bags for sale should be 50kgs but we are going to crack the whip on them,” said Koskei.
The regulation was put to protect farmers from exploitation by middlemen, and according to Koskei, the regulated packaging would see farmers counting profits on their produce as well as boosting food production in the country.
He indicated that the directive would see farmers banned from selling their produce in 220kg bags and, had assured that stringent rules banning the sale of the produce in extended bags will be put in place.
Farmers from the area said that they are suffering in silence since they cannot fail to sell their produce due to fear of losing market.
“The directive was good but we are forced to sell our produce using extended bags since even the other potato producing counties are using those bags and if we fail to sell our produce, we might also fail to get a market in near future,” said one of the farmers in Nakuru market.