New regulations key to unlocking potato farming potential

Emily Chebeya harvests Irish Potatoes from her farm in Endebess sub-county in January 2019. [File, Standard]

About 35,000 hectares of Irish potatoes are grown annually in Kenya. Potato farming has high potential that remains unexploited. The venture has however suffered in recent years mainly due to population growth and diversification of crops. Potato is the second most important food crop, after maize in Kenya, cultivated by over 800,000 small holder growers. Production is currently estimated to be worth Sh50 billion.

The potato can provide cheap and nutritionally rich staple food requirements for the country’s fast growing population, especially, since the main staple food, maize, has its yields declining due to a host of factors including Maize Lethal Necrosis Disease, increasing soil acidity and changing land use patterns.