Government targets to increase potato production to six million tonnes

Agricultural Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe during the official opening of the Nairobi International Trade Fair on September 30, 2026. [Benard Orwongo, Standard]

The government now targets to increase potato production from three million metric tonnes to six million metric tonnes, to meet growing demand in the region and for export.

Kenya is already regarded as one of the leading producers of potatoes in sub-Saharan Africa and the leading consumer in East Africa.

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said increased production over the next three years will be achieved through the adoption of modern technology, greater market access and improved variety value chains.

Kagwe, speaking at the end of the Potato Congress in Naivasha, said the potato sector already contributes USD 400M (Sh52B) to the country's economy and is becoming a key player in the food sector.

He noted that Kenya currently produces three million metric tonnes of potatoes and employs 3.5 million people, directly and indirectly.

The CS, who welcomed more than 1,000 delegates to the Congress, said the government, through its Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), had designated potatoes as a strategic food crop and a high-impact agricultural value chain.

He said that the State continues to provide subsidised farm inputs to support agricultural production, with more than 7.2 million farmers registered in a digital database.

Kagwe revealed that ongoing geo-mapping of farms across key agricultural value chains was underway, and that the construction of County Aggregation and Industrial Parks (CAIPs) was a key accelerator of local value addition.

He said that the government was seeking to improve market access and youth-led digital agricultural extension services, comply with international standards and promote favourable trade agreements.

“These measures aim to improve food security, increase smallholder incomes and stimulate private-sector-led industrial development in the potato subsector,” said Kagwe.

Kagwe said the Congress, themed ‘Global Potato Partnerships for Enhanced Food Systems, Nutrition Security and Trade,’ would provide policymakers with an opportunity to take stock of numerous developments in the industry.

This comes amid an uproar over the selective implementation of the existing Crops (Irish potato regulations), which capped the maximum packaging per unit at 50kg.

Nyandarua Governor Kiarie Badilisha lamented that the county was the only one implementing the regulations, leaving traders to seek alternative markets.

This, he said, had exposed county farmers to losses, and he urged either full implementation in potato-growing counties or suspension of the regulations across the board.

“It’s only Nyandarua County which has fully implemented Irish potato regulations, and this is giving our farmers unfair competition grounds,” he said.