Cost of Irish Potatoes Spike as 2KGs Retail at Kshs.160

A spot check on the cost of Irish potatoes in Nakuru and Nyandarua Counties has revealed that the standard 110kg bag sells at approximately 3,937 shillings and 4,325 shillings, respectively.

These are the two counties that produce over 50 percent of Irish potatoes consumed in Kenya. The assessment of their prices and the cost of producing a 110-kg bag of Irish potatoes in these regions gives a clear picture of the general cost in Kenya.

A kilogram of Irish potatoes costs between 37.07 shillings and 57.92 shillings in Nairobi and Mombasa. That means a 110Kg of the commodity goes for between 4, 077.7 shillings and 6371.2 shillings across the two counties.

Meanwhile, a 2kg tin of Irish potatoes is selling at around 160 shillings, which is double the price it was selling in November 2021 across the major towns including Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, and Kakamega.

According to the agriculture ministry, apart from maize, Irish potatoes are also important staple food with over 800,000 growers in the country. These numbers may increase as food systems change.

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The prices of commodities have been on the rise since the beginning of the year. The increase in the cost of Irish potatoes and Cooking oil has spiked the prices of Fries in various food. One plate of Chips in Nairobi has gone as high as 200 shillings in major restaurants. Some restaurants in Nairobi have entirely removed the commodity from the menu.

The high prices of Irish potatoes have been attributed majorly to the high cost of production due to the increase in farm inputs such as seeds and pesticides, and fertilizers which recently shot up to more than 3000 shillings.

Regardless of the high market prices, however, most farmers in various counties barely attain an even point because the market is highly dominated by brokers and middlemen who still contribute to the high cost of production.

Even with the subsidies released by the Ministry of Agriculture to support farmers, there are still high chances that the price of Irish potatoes will continue rising even further in the coming months.