Hot potato: Perennial glut leaves farmers counting losses, again

For decades, many Kenyans have enjoyed potatoes in one form or another, not giving much thought to what goes into the production of the popular tuber.

The crop is mostly grown in Nyandarua, Nyeri and Nakuru counties and is sourced in large quantities by hotels for making chips, a popular fast food among many urban dwellers.

Currently, a potato glut in Nyandarua and Nyeri counties is driving farmers into losses as prices plummet to new lows.

Potato farmers from Endarasha and Charity areas in Kieni Constituency, Nyeri County are at their wits’ end on how to save their crops as the market pushes them to sell off at throwaway prices.

The farmers lament that despite the recent long rains that saw them reap a bumper harvest, an influx of potatoes from the neighbouring Nyandarua county has led to the prices of potatoes dropping drastically.

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Peter Mwangi, a potato farmer and trader from the Endarasha area said the market is experiencing an oversupply amid low demand.

“Currently, a 50kg sack of potatoes is selling between Sh1,500 and Sh2,000, which a few months ago was selling at between Sh6,000 and Sh8,000. We are staring at losses,” he noted.

Mwangi said one of the reasons for the low prices is that a majority of the farmers harvested at the same time.

“The demand is very low, while the supply is high and hence the prices have dropped,” he said.

Mwangi, however, noted that this year’s harvest was lower than previous years due to the erratic rainfall patterns.

 “The rains started well but reduced during the maturity stage of the potato crop, which reduced the yields,” he explained. Mwangi noted most of the farmers have been forced to hold onto their crop, hoping prices will rise soon.

“We were hoping the schools would buy our stocks, but unfortunately, most of them are cash-strapped and are not purchasing our potatoes in bulk,” he said.

Peter Ndung’u, another potato farmer from Endarasha, also lamented that production had gone down, with half an acre producing 30 potato bags this season compared to 50 bags last year.

“Approximately, an acre can produce 100 potato bags in this area,” he noted.

Mwangi explained that the low production was due to the lack of subsidised fertiliser since only farmers who had registered as maize farmers benefited from the State’s programme, locking out potato farmers.

Daniel Waihenya, a potato trader, said the high cost of living has forced many customers to eliminate potatoes from their daily diets.

“People are reducing their spending and are, therefore, not buying our produce like potatoes because they are focused on the bare minimum,” he said.

Waihenya also noted that farmers are hoarding the crop, which has forced traders to turn to neighbouring counties like Nyandarua. Gichohi Muthoni, a trader in Nyeri town, complained about the low prices of potatoes.

He said a 50kg sack is now selling at Sh2,300, down from Sh7,000 previously, a drop of Sh4,700.

“A bucket (debe) now sells at Sh500. It previously sold at between Sh800 and Sh1,200,” he said.

Gichohi noted that the increased rainfall led to a surplus of potatoes in the market, easing the shortage that had been there for some time.

“We thank God for rainfall, though we are incurring losses. Potato trading is no longer profitable at the moment,” he observed. He said potatoes are highly perishable and many customers rarely buy in bulk.

The bumper production of potatoes has led to a glut in Nyandarua County barely, months after the recent drought that saw supply dwindle.

Farmers now fear hundreds of tonnes of the produce will rot in the next few weeks unless their respective county governments step in and provide alternative markets. They noted that other markets, including Nakuru, Bomet, Narok and Kisii, are also experiencing the same.

The prices started dropping from Sh3,000 per 50kg bag three months ago to now Sh,800.

Nyandarua Potato Growers Association chairman Wilfred Kimaru attributed the glut to the recent heavy rains experienced in the region.

“Currently, we have this challenge as farmers invested more in the sector. The price has reduced to Sh800 as other counties are also experiencing the same” noted Kimaru. But he regretted the failure by both the national and county governments to enforce the Potato Act, which banned the packaging of potatoes in extended bags weighing 120kg.

“For example, in Molo, Nakuru county, they are selling in extended bags at Sh3,000, yet here, we are being forced to sell in 50kg bags. The law should be applied equally,” Kimaru said.

He also blamed middlemen for the woes facing the sector.

“Some of them are also buying the produce in extended bags in collusion with the farmers and later converting them into 50kg bags. In the end, they end up making a killing out of our sweat,” he said. Jane Nyokabi, a farmer in Pondo village regretted having invested in the sector.

“This has been the worst season. My potatoes are rotting in the store since there is no market. I cannot sell them at the current price of Sh800. I better feed them to my pigs” she observed.

In 2020, several counties started implementing new regulations that require potatoes to be only transported and sold in markets in 50kg standard bags. The regulations have been designed to protect farmers from unscrupulous traders who buy potatoes cheaply in extended bags and then repackage them into smaller units.

The regulations also spell out that people buying potatoes for home consumption should do so in designated markets where the units sold are controlled.

Farmers and traders are also required to register with the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA).