Potato farmers are set to benefit from cold storage facilities and warehouses to be constructed by TingA, East Africa’s largest tractor sharing platform.
The firm has announced a plan to build facilities in 25 counties partnership with various stakeholders.
Currently, plans are underway to construct the first cold storage in Narok at a cost of Sh100 million.
The groundbreaking of the Narok facility will take place this month.
The firm has already called for expression of interest from experts and the shortlisting is under way.
The move is expected to encourage productivity and curb post-harvest losses.
The initiative comes as a relief to smallholder farmers across potato-rich areas such as Mau, Meru and Nyandarua.
Apart from offering cold storage facilities, the farm equipment renter will help new farmers join their programs to access certified seeds and curb diseases.
Philip Nyandieka, TingA general manager, said the company will help farmers transport their produce to the cold storage and the market.
“We have already identified land just within our Narok branch to have this facility here. We have already allocated money for the Narok facility. For the other facilities we seek to source the finances from various avenues,” Nyandieka said.
The firm seeks to save farmers from brokers who always take advantage of their desperation to buy their produce cheaply.
“Over the years, farmers have been forced to keep the mature crop in the farm waiting for better prices and this exposes them to worms and other predators especially during the dry season,” Nyandieka said.
“We are very excited that the company has decided to start with Narok. This will really help us. We have so far benefited from the free training they have been giving us. It has helped us improve our farming,” said Allan Sadera, a farmer in Narok.
