Kenia: Kenyan farmers want all counties to enforce potato law
Potato farmers in Kinangop Nyandarua, now want all counties to enforce the new 50kg potato packaging rule to avoid losses.
They noted that farmers who had complied with the rule were the biggest losers as brokers were still buying the extended bags from other counties. This came as the prices of the produce dropped sharply due to overproduction and low demand leaving farmers counting their losses which ran into thousands of shillings.
According to a director with Midland vegetable processing plant in Kinangop, an extended bag of the produce was going for Sh1,500 down from Sh6,000 (€12.93 from €51.72) a month ago.
He said the market had been worsened by brokers who were ignoring potatoes packed in the 50kg bags.“We are calling on the national and county governments involved in potato growing to make sure this law is enforced all over the country.”
He also told https://www.the-star.co.ke that the only solution to addressing woes affecting potato farmers lay in opening more processing plants for value addition. “In Kinangop we have the multi-billion Midland factory that has the capacity to process tens of tonnes every day but politics has derailed its operations.”
This came as enforcement officers from Nakuru County embarked on a major operation targeting those flouting the new law. During the operation, one trader was arrested in Mai Mahiu, ferrying over 70 extended bags to Nairobi from Narok.
Fuente: https://www.freshplaza.com/article/9131804/kenyan-farmers-want-all-counties-to-enforce-potato-law/
