Agrico East Africa, Yara East Africa Partner To Boost Potato Farmers

By Jane Muia / Published May 24, 2022 | 12:51 pm

KEY POINTS

In Kenya, potato is majorly grown in Nyandarua, Meru, Nyeri, Kiambu, Taita Taveta, Nakuru, Narok, Bomet, Elgeyo Marakwet, Trans Nzoia, Bungoma, Uasin Gishu and West Pokot counties.

Farmers in Elgeyo Marakwet preparing their potatoes for sale at a loss.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Kenyan potato farmers grow different seed varieties including Kenya Karibu, Tigoni, and Sangi. Each variety does well under different climatic conditions and is ideal for various markets.

Agrico East Africa, a company that multiplies and distributes various potato varieties, and Yara East Africa, a manufacturer, and supplier of fertilizer have partnered to boost potato farmers in Nakuru and Narok counties. The partnership paves way for farmers who have adopted certified seeds to sell their produce directly to processors.

Smallholder farmers will receive training and inputs in the form of certified potato seed varieties, fertilizer, and crop protection products, and at the same time get connected to local processors who will buy their produce. Farmers will also be able to access information on how to grow quality potatoes via Facebook where potato knowledge is shared between farmers, experts, and off-takers.

“This partnership seeks to improve productivity and income among local farmers to address the challenge of food security. With farmers having access to certified seeds and products that can boost the productivity, they can meet off-takers high-quality requirements.” Kefa Makori, an agronomist at Yara East Africa said.

Agronomists from Yara East Africa and Agrico trained farmers on how to grow good quality potatoes for export while some of the produce would be processed locally. The training which took place on the Agrico farm in Kabarak brought together potato farmers from Nakuru, Nyandarua, and Narok counties.

“There has been a challenge of accessing certified potato seeds over the years, and we came in in 2015 to bridge the gap and introduce different varieties as per market demands to the farmers. Once the farmers have access to the seeds, we guide them from planting through to harvesting and finally finding a market for them to address the challenges of having to deal with middlemen,” said Agrico Potato Service Africa Director Kimoi Moi.

Kenyan potato farmers grow different seed varieties including Kenya Karibu, Tigoni, and Sangi. Each variety does well under different climatic conditions and is ideal for various markets. An example is, those exporting frozen chips prefer to grow the Tigoni variety because it is preferred by the export market and is easy to cook. Depending on the type of potatoes, they have different functions meant for them.

According to a report from the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS), the Irish potato has a high potential for addressing food insecurity, unemployment, and low farm incomes in Kenya due to its high productivity per unit area and its versatility in utilization.

In Kenya, potato is majorly grown in Nyandarua, Meru, Nyeri, Kiambu, Taita Taveta, Nakuru, Narok, Bomet, Elgeyo Marakwet, Trans Nzoia, Bungoma, Uasin Gishu and West Pokot counties.