Potato growers in Molo are up in arms over failure by Governor Kinuthia Mbugua's administration to protect them from middlemen who are allegedly circumventing the law by sticking to the extended bags.
According to one of the farmers, Mrs Salome Mwangi, the major challenge they face is marketing of the potato produce which is mainly sold to major towns in Kenya and Tanzania.
Middlemen in the business have been swindling the farmers by packaging potatoes in bags exceeding the recommended 50 kilogram bags.
“These brokers still take advantage of the farmers by packaging the potatoes in 200 kg bags which is four-fold the recommended packaging. We do a lot of work but reap peanuts,” she said.
Poor infrastructure in the area has also contributed greatly to the low prices on the farms as buyers compensate their hefty transport charges by slashing their buying prices.
Farmers in the area have also faulted lack of loans or financial assistance from financial institutions noting that the high cost of production is also a major challenge .
They called on the County Government of Nakuru to set up factories that manufacture final products such as potato crisps or chips and also revive the collapsed Molo Potato factory.
Ann Rutto from PELUM Kenya, a non-governmental organization, said her organization is looking for ways to uplift farmers’ livelihoods by addressing these challenges by advocating for proper marketing and proper production of the potato produce