The World Bank has unveiled a 288 million shillings programme to help reduce post harvest losses in the potato sub-sector.
The four year programme aims at providing capital to farmers in order to increase quality of yields as well as encourage processing in 9 potato growing counties.
The farmers will also be trained on best farming practices that will guarantee improved income.
Potato farmers in Nakuru county one of Kenya’s largest potato producing areas lose close to 3 billion shillings annually in post-harvest losses occasioned by poor handling and shortage of storage facilities.
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The World Bank’s four year programme is targeting to decrease post harvest losses in the agriculture sub-sector by enhancing investments in the potato value addition the programme will also see construction of storage facilities in order to cushion farmers from losses and price fluctuations during bumper harvests which middlemen often take advantage of.
Iinnovators have been urged to come up with mobile phone applications that can give potato farmers adequate weather predictions, market trends and other valuable agriculture information to boost potato yields in the country.
This as Nakuru County government admits to have failed in implementing the governments directive that bans selling of potatoes in more than 50 kg bags blaming the middlemen for flouting the law.
Last year farmers in Nakuru sold 541,000 metric tons of potatoes netting 9.4 billion shillings in sales with, post-harvest loses of the crop exceeding 40 percent.
