New commercial sweet potato varieties developed in Kenya

The Kenya Horticultural Development Authority has opened new markets for sweet potatoes, raising farmers’ interest in growing the crop locally.

Under a programme financed by the United States Agency for International Development, the KHDA has developed new varieties of the crop that is grown for commercial purposes. This opens up a new avenue for farmers to earn income.

Timothy Mwangi of Kenya Horticultural Development Programme said that though there is a growing interest in sweet potatoes in key markets such as Europe, many farmers neglected it to concentrate on horticultural crops.

Sweet potatoes have long been overshadowed by other tubers such as Irish potatoes. For this reason they have mainly been a food crop, rather than also a commercial one. The sweet potato is a major staple food in Kenya and the growing of high yielding and faster maturing varieties is expected to contribute to increased food security. “We are promoting this crop because it is small holder friendly and produces quick returns to farmers,” said Mr. Mwangi.

Farmers have been advised to first confirm the varieties that are available and identify markets before embarking on cultivation. “The quality of sweet potatoes derives from the size, shape, colour, cooking time and taste,” Mwangi said.

Kenya Agricultural Institute and the International Potato Centre —a Peru based potato research and development organisation have produced several varieties of sweet potatoes for commercial farming. Orange, white and yellow-fleshed are the main varieties that are grown for export, because of their high vitamins content. In Kenya alone, there are nearly 2,000 potato varieties .

The crop is highly valued for its fibre and starch content and is also rich in vitamins A, C, and B6, complex carbohydrates, proteins, iron and calcium. It is used industrially in the manufacture of starch and industrial alcohol. As a food crop, the roots can be boiled, baked or fried and are used as a snack or added to main dishes. Besides, sweet potato leaves and shoots are eaten in some communities as greens and also fed to livestock.

In conjunction with other stakeholders, the programme aims at helping farmers to meet the challenges associated with the crop, which include lack of market information and commercial production techniques. Farmers also face the challenge of pests such as nematodes and diseases such as viral infections which prevent its commercialisation. Mr. Mwangi said they has already identified an exporter who will buy the sweet potatoes for overseas markets.

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