Potato farmers in Kenya have accused local authorities of failing to effect a law that would limit farm gate bags to 110 kilogrammes, leading to exploitation by middlemen. Middlemen are currently extending the length of one sack to accommodate tubers weighing as much as 200 kilogrammes.
That practice contravenes a legal notice issued two years ago by the Ministry of Agriculture, but which is yet to be enforced. Overlapping legislation leaves it unclear who between local authorities and weights and measures personnel should implement it. The lapse has given midddlemen room to exploit farmers through erratic packaging of potatoes for sale in urban areas where demand is high.
Efforts by the newly launched farmer’s umbrella body—the Kenya National Potato Farmers Association (KENAPOFA)— to stop the practice have been frustrated by farmers rush to avoid post-harvest wastage. KENAPOFA chairman Edward Mwamba asked local authorities and the police to enforce the law on standardisation of potato bags to protect the farmers from unscrupulous traders. He said farmers were selling their produce at throw-away prices because they lacked the machinery both at the market and regulatory levels to stop the exploitation.
The law requires that potatoes be packaged in standardised bags weighing 110 kilogrammes but some middlemen insist that they be package in extended bags weighing over 200 kilogrammes.
They later re-package the produce in recommended bags when re-selling them.
“There is no one to enforce the Government directive and the cartels continue to package the produce in extended bags. We request local authorities and the police to come to our aid in stamping out the vice. “The other option is for the Government to provide us with cold storage facilities in the potato growing areas because it is too expensive for farmers to construct their own,” said Mwamba.
The Molo District Agricultural Officer, Ms. Jane Karanja, challenged farmers to market their produce directly without relying on middlemen.
Freshly harvested potatoes can stay in the cold rooms for up to five months before they are sold.
Farmers say the farm gate prices of one bag of potato (110 kilogrammes or extended ones) fluctuate between Sh250 ($3.75) during harvest and Sh1,000 during shortages. “Farmers are now demanding between Sh500 to Sh1200 for a standardised bag.
Figures from KENAPOFA indicate that at least 100,000 hectares of land is planted with potato annually in the country, fetching Sh5 billion ($750 million) to farmers at farm gates or Sh10 billion in consumer prices. It is a labour intensive crop and employs some 2.5 million people ranging from farmers, direct farm labourers, middlemen, transporters and processors.
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