Tougher potato packaging rules set

Potato traders selling produce in bags exceeding the legal limit of 110 kilogrammes face stiff penalties as counties seek ways to boost farmers’ earnings.

The Crop Production and Livestock Act (2005) set the standard packaging for potatoes at 110 kgs but middle men use extended bags often over 150 kg to fleece the farmers.

In a move aimed at increasing potato production, officials from Nakuru, Kiambu, Narok, Kericho, Kisii, Nyeri, West Pokot, Bomet, Nyandarua and Baringo met to seek ways of setting uniform packaging standards.

Leaders from the 10 major counties where potatoes are grown have joined forces to improve farming methods, packaging and marketing of the produce.

“We are looking at establishing better marketing systems for our potato farmers. We are focused at providing a conducive environment for them to gain better returns which in the long term trickles down to boosting county earnings,” said the Nakuru County governor Kinuthia Mbugua.

Middlemen have been buying the potatoes from farmers and forcing them to fill them up to 280 kilogrammes and later sell per kilo in markets, benefiting more than the farmers.

“Implementation of the 110kg rule failed because of lack of coordinated efforts among the leaders from the potato growing regions. But now we are not stopping at nothing,” said Mr Mbugua.

The governors plan to work with the police to ensure no vehicle crosses from one border to another carrying potato sacks in excess weight.

“Doing away with the violation of the packaging policy will need the involvement of the county leaders from all the 47 counties. We will need enforcement officers to arrest offenders be it on the roads or the markets,” said Nyandarua Governor Daniel Waithaka.

Traders transporting the produce in bigger bags will risk a higher fine or longer jail term as the county officials plan to revise the punitive measures.

The by-laws which were adopted by the cities, municipalities and townships through the Legal Notice No.113 of 2008, following the 2005 notice on the standardisation policy has set Sh2,000 as fine or a term not exceeding six months imprisonment.

The law required officers in charge of markets to block entry of the produce for sale in the extended bags, but not much is done.

“We are going to introduce stiffer penalties so that whoever intends to break the packaging law will have to think twice,” said West Pokot governor Simon Kachapin.
Nakuru County Assembly has already passed a fine of Sh10,000 or imprisonment of six months or both.

Potato is Kenya’s second most important food crop behind maize, involving more than 790,000 smallholder farmers producing 2.9 million metric tonnes across 158,000 hectares.

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The low harvests according to National Potato Council of Kenya chief executive officer Wachira Kaguongo is a result of the usage of the low quality and diseased seeds by more than 90 per cent of the farmers.

“Less than five per cent of the farmers use certified seeds. The over 90 per cent use own saved tubers which are either of low quality or diseased and this reduces the yield per hectare,” noted Mr Kaguongo.

In order to increase the harvests, he said farmers should be enlightened on the needful of using only certified, clean and positively selected seeds.

Employment of progressive and intensive systems of farming, he also noted could catapult higher yields.

“With the progressive farming methods where the farmers use the right seed and better practices, it is possible to gain 25 to 70 tonnes per hectare against the current low harvests,” added Mr Kaguongo.

Conducting continuous market oriented research, he said could also enable Kenya grow varieties which are in demand in the both the local and the international market.

He said with proper farming and marketing methodologies ,production of the potatoes could earn Kenya more than Sh40 billion annually.