Farmers have been warned against harvesting immature potatoes. Doing so compromises quality and increases post-harvest losses.
The Crops (Irish Potato) Regulations that were gazetted in April 2019 require potato producers to ensure they harvest quality crops.
The regulation also stipulates that any trader or transporter found selling or ferrying poor-quality potatoes will be arrested.
Beatrice Nyamwamu, the director for Food Crops Directorate at the Agriculture and Food Authority said farmers have been compromising the quality of potatoes in the market by selling immature crops.
She also attributed high post-harvest losses to the harvesting of immature crops.
“Farmers also risk making losses because the potatoes tend to spoil fast and hence must be sold immediately after harvest. This is unlike mature potatoes which when stored in cold facilities, have a longer life span and fetch better prices,” Nyamwamu said.
She spoke on Friday while sensitising farmers in Nyandarua county on the Potato regulations.
“The management committee of the collection centres and dealers shall ensure that Irish potatoes are sorted, graded, packaged, labelled, transported, and stored following good practices prescribed by the authority from time to time and in accordance with existing national, regional and international standards,” the regulations state in part three on quality assurance, packaging and marketing.
The rules also require Irish potatoes be removed from any area after packaging in clean and intact food-grade material that allows for aeration and maintenance of quality.
“They should also be packaged and clearly labelled indicating the Irish potato variety, date harvested, collection centre and county of origin, and that a person who contravenes this regulation commits an offence,” the regulation reads.
Irish potatoes for commercial purposes shall be transported in natural and synthetic fibre sacks, moulded plastic boxes, sawn wooden boxes and paper or plastic film sacks or in such other manner as may be prescribed by the Cabinet Secretary in consultation with the authority from time to time.
“A person transporting Irish potatoes shall ensure that the vessel used for transportation does not lead to deterioration caused through moisture loss, rain, greening, or physical damage or contamination and complies with instructions provided by the authority in accordance with the existing national, regional and international standards,” the law states.
Hannah Njenga, deputy director of agriculture in Nyandarua county said they were sensitising farmers against harvesting immature crops.
Nyandarua is Kenya's biggest producer of Irish potatoes.
“We are trying to sensitize farmers/producers, buyers and transporters that every potato should be harvested and transported in the right quality, right variety and in the right containers. And that anyone doing otherwise will be contravening the law," Njenga said.
He said farmers are always in a rush to harvest immature potatoes so that they can make quick money when demand is high.
Currently, a 50kg bag of potatoes at the farm gate is selling for between Sh1800 and Sh2000, but the price could drop to Sh1500 to Sh1200 in the coming month due to a glut in the market.
“Farmers are anticipating that there will be a glut in the market in the coming month hence low prices but in so doing, they are compromising the quality. I urge farmers to have storage facilities so that can wait a little longer when the market is not flooded and prices are better,” Njenga said.
Edited by P.O
