Why Nyandarua farmers swear by potato farming despite low prices

Year in, year out, potato farmers in Nyandarua complain about exploitation by brokers, low prices, poor roads and low profits, but they continue to grow the tuber.

Though the county is fertile and can produce maize, carrots, cabbage, sweet potatoes and others, farmers have stuck to growing Irish potatoes.

Farmers interviewed by Nation.Africa attributed this to fear of diversifying and hopes for better days, especially since several regulations are being adopted and roads are being improved.

But some farmers point to the sentimental attachment to Irish potato growing, a tradition they cannot just discard without venturing into other lucrative crops suitable for the area and require minimal production costs.

Some of these crops are oats, whose production costs are half those of growing potatoes and have better market prospects.

Maize also does well in Nyandarua, but few people grow it due to a longer maturity period compared to potatoes, though maize has a better market with minimal costs of production per acre.

“Nyandarua is branded as a county of potato and milk. Farmers identify with a crop. It's their pride, just like tea and coffee are the pride of farmers in Kericho, Nyeri, Kiambu, Murang’a, and miraa in Meru. We are happy when identified with potatoes,” says Mr Jimmy Muthoni.

Despite the poor prices, he says, most people earned their fortunes from potatoes in the past and it has become a tradition to grow it.

“Sometimes the crop rewards us but there are other times prices are so poor that a farmer might not recover the cost of the seeds. I bought land in Ol Kalou in 2017 after making the best sales from potatoes that year,” said Mr Muthoni.

That year, he planted three-quarters of an acre with potato, which earned him Sh150,000 in profits, the best sales he has ever made.

Working for farmers

But two consecutive years of poor prices have forced him to diversify to other vegetables, including carrots and cabbages.

Other farmers have perfected the art of timing to reap maximum profits from Irish potato, planting between February 10 and 20 to harvest in May around the same dates before the market is flooded. They then plant the second crop in August to harvest around November when there is a scarcity.

The other trick is to delay selling until the glut is over, something that is now working for farmers who did not sell their produce between July and September, when a 50kg bag sold for between Sh300 and Sh400, and today sells for Sh900 per bag.

“Most farmers will sell at throwaway prices to take the children back to school. The brokers are aware of farmers' desperation at that time, but the best thing is negotiating with the school to allow the child to remain in class for about two to three weeks after opening for the new term,” said Mr Japhet Mwangi, who withheld his potato until this week, when he sold at Sh900 per bag.

The desire for quick money, impatience, lack of exposure to other crops, fear of taking the risk of investing in a new crop and erratic markets have also hindered the growers.

“We have heard in other areas how farmers are duped to start growing new crops but promoters vanish at harvest stage or the produce also flood the market,” said Gerald Gikwanjo.

When markets are better

Tree tomato was rated the best crop with a guaranteed market about two years ago. Farmers sold a kilo at between Sh80 and Sh120, sometimes going up to Sh150, but the prices range between Sh50 and Sh80 as we speak.”

Mr David Njuguna, another farmer, said potato farming saw him through secondary school but he says he shied away from growing the tuber.

“I have planted maize for more than five years. The cost of production per acre is between Sh30,000 and Sh35,000, with average maize production of 40 bags per acre, about the same as potatoes. But the minimum price for maize is Sh2,500, while that of potato is less than Sh1,000 when markets are better,” he said.

Apart from poor prices, another major factor ailing potato growing is poor production caused by lack of certified seeds, a challenge that will end soon because of massive investment in certified seed production by private farms.

The county government last month launched a certified potato seed multiplication farm at Ol Joro Orok Agricultural Training College, while the National Youth Service Tumaini farm has opened its doors to farmers seeking certified planting materials.

A storage facility and a processing plant were set up by the county and the national government to motivate potato growers, giving them hope for a better tomorrow.