David Kimotho has been a potato farmer in Nyandarua County for the past 12 years, but has always counted losses because of poor yields blamed on bad agronomic practices.Erratic weather conditions and poor market prices have further heaped losses on Kimotho.“Traders insist on extending the bags, so that instead of buying in 50kg bags, we stuff produce in 200kg packs.”The good news for Kimotho and other farmers is that the bad times in the industry would soon be over as stakeholders move to better the plight of farmers.The Potato Consortium, which consists of the National Potato Council of Kenya (NPCK), Grow Africa and the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (Agra), last week at the Nyandarua County Potato Fair announced fresh plans to structure the industry.To begin with, the consortium said it is working on policies that would empower farmers to sell their produce at collection centres only in 50kg bags.
It has also identified and signed agreements with the private sector companies, who will buy and process the produce.Further, it has talked with financial institutions so that they can provide funding to both farmers and processors, and lastly, it is encouraging farmers to form cooperative societies through which they would sell their produce.Kimotho is the chairman of Mirangine Green Silver Farmers Corporative, which brings together 142 potato farmers from Makurata village in Nyandarua County, each with an average of two acres of potatoes.
Potato farming in Kenya Photo www.theorganicfarmer.org