High cost of living shrinks potato market
Potatoes on sale at Wakulima Wholesale Market in Nakuru on January 8, 2014 where a bag was selling at Sh2,700 and a tin at Sh300, a drop in price that traders attributed it to high cost of living. Photo/FILE
The rising cost of living in Kenya has impacted negatively on potato farming as farmers complain about decline in consumption.
Potatoes are the second most consumed crop after maize in the country. While maize remains the main crop, potato provides a supplementary 1.35 tonnes of dietary needs annually for most of Kenya’s 40 million people.
Farmers are worried over a decline in consumption, a trend they attribute to the continued rise in the price of basic commodities.
“These days, it takes more than two weeks for a farmer to sell 110kg of potatoes, unlike before when the same amount could be sold at once. Very few traders are visiting farms to collect the crop for retail sale.
“This is largely because many households have been forced to slash their budgets.
“Both the national and county governments have introduced new levies and increased others, which have resulted in increases in price,” Mr Edward Mwamba, the Kenya National Potato Farmers Association secretary general, said in Nakuru.
The official added that farmers were worried over spoilage of the crop. Potatoes are highly perishable.
Further, he said, the cost of production has increased from $519.15 to $865.25 (about Sh44,000 to Sh73,000). This could hamper efforts to use certified seeds and fertilisers.
“Uncertified seeds have for long contributed to low productivity. In the long-term, we will have a shortage of potatoes,” Mr Mwamba said, adding that there was an urgent need for the government to address taxation of agricultural inputs and provide incentives to farmers.
Mr Samuel Kirui, a small-scale potato farmer in Njoro sub-county, said he had lost five 110kg bags of the crop due to lack of market.
“For the six years I have been growing potatoes, I have always had a ready market. In fact, brokers collect potatoes from my farm. But since January, things have changed,” he said.
Potatoes are grown on 108,000 hectares in Kenya by 500,000 small-scale farmers in Rift Valley, Central, and Eastern provinces, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.
