Potato industry continues to experience inadequate supply of quality potato seed of preferred varieties, forcing farmers to continually multiply low-quality ordinary potato seed.
According to a special report, The National Potato Strategy of 2021-2025 released by Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperatives, despite the many varieties of potato seed developed, certified and released into the market, many farmers are still not accessing the seed, although a slight improvement has been recorded recently.
The report cites lack of foundation potato seed that can be multiplied as a challenge as well as perishability nature of the potato seed, which makes storage difficult and distribution complicated, since the conventional distribution channels cannot be used.
It explains that good and efficient distribution needs heavy investments such as building of cold stores, whose absence, among other factors, means low accessibility of the seed.
In Kenya Agricultural, Livestock and Research Organisation (KARLO) is tasked with research on seed potato which is carried out at KARLO-Tigoni National Research Centre.
KARLO collaborates with local universities such as Egerton among others and International Potato Centre (CIP) in the research and the potential varieties submitted to KEPHIS for evaluation and certification before they are released into the market.
However, the structural changes that took place in the early 1990s such as allocation of research land to private individuals resulted in change of ownership of big portions of land for both KALRO Tigon and ADC Molo, hence causing shortage of land for seed multiplication, the special report indicates.
According to the report, the two institutions have also been facing financial limitation to execute their mandates thus contributing to their inability to adequately serve the industry.
Despite the prominence and importance of potato as a food crop and income generating enterprise, the crop has not attracted adequate funding from exchequer. However, some counties have dealt with the situation by increasing budgetary allocation for the industry.
Compared with other perennial crops, potato farmers are yet to receive proper financial services and products from mainstream financial institutions, the report observes. It however notes that Saving and Credit Cooperative Societies (Saccos) have adopted group lending services ensuring farmers can access certified seed and other inputs if the groups have viable business models.
In the report, the Ministry suggests establishment of a mechanism to access funds in the commodity fund under the Agriculture and Food Authority Act, in order to mitigate against the industry funding challenge.
Resource mobilization in the counties through the county assemblies as well as engaging financial institutions to develop and offer financial and insurance services and products to the industry were also pointed as other means of mitigation among others.
By Kimani Tirus
