The Cabinet Secretary (CS) in the Ministry of Agriculture, Peter Munya has revealed that the all the required processes regarding the regulation of potatoes in the country have now been completed and the regulations are now in force.
Munya stated that the regulations which protect potato farmers are now law and that the Ministry is now focusing on ensuring that these laws are enforced to the letter.
The CS also noted that the regulations are good for both the farmers and traders and they are intended to bring fairness in the value chain by ensuring that there is no exploitation and there is fair compensation.
“The regulation in regards to the packaging of the potatoes requires that all potatoes being transported from the farm to the market or to the stores, whether for sale or consumption, are packaged in 50 kilogram bags,” said Munya.
Munya explained that it is the government’s responsibility to protect farmers from middle men who are out to take advantage of farmers by forcing them to sell at throw away prices due to the perishability nature of the potatoes and lack of storage facilities.
Munya cited that middlemen at the Wakulima market in Nairobi have been forcing farmers who come to sell their potatoes there to repackage them to meet their demands saying that they will not tolerate this kind of impunity and called on the relevant authorities to take charge of the situation.
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