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: 05 December 2017; Hits: 6774

Seed shortage creates a lifelong venture for potato farmer

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Packed potato seeds.

Anne Chepng’eno, a farmer from Molo is growing potato crops for seeds in a bid to address the current shortage of the seeds helping farmers from all over the country to access them.

Currently there is potato seed demand of 100,000 tonnes in the country while basic demand by other seed multipliers is 1000 tonnes. Only 5000 tonnes is produced and supplied per year. Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) produce 300 tonnes of potato seeds every year for farmers according to Henry Kemjo, Research and Development officer at National Potato Council of Kenya (NPCK).

In her 60 acres farm she grows potatoes and other crops using a rotational model, which she began in 2005. She acquires her seeds from Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) and involves Kenya Plant health inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) in her production system to ensure that her seeds are standard free from diseases.

“I engage experts in every point of my stage of production; from where to plant the seeds, the type of seeds, weeding and harvesting among other agronomical practices,” said Chepng’eno.

“As seed producers and other potato farmers, we are always advised not to plant potatoes on the same spot in the nest planting season to prevent any disease infection and improve soil fertility.”

In a given season she grows potato in 20 acres of her land while the rest are occupied with other crops such as peas, maize, and some fodder crops.

Chepng’eno who used to grow Dutch, Kenya Karibu, Tigoni and Sangi varieties of potato has in the recent years singled on Sangi as this variety has become farmers’ preference due to its desirable qualities.

“Sangi sprouts faster, takes short time to cook and it is also tasty as compared to other potato types raising its market demand making many farmers to grow it,” said Chepng’eno.

She expects to harvest the next bunch of seeds late January next year to catch up with farmers who target the long rains of March-April-May for planting. “By end of January 2018, my seeds will be ready for farmers who will be planting from March onwards,” she said

In a season Chepng’eno harvests between 80 and 110 potato sacks of 50kg. She sells a kilo at Sh100 after approval by KEPHIS earning her approximately Sh500, 000 per season.

“After certification my potato seeds are labeled and can be sold anywhere in Kenya,” she said.

She is currently a renowned potato seed producer in Molo who has undergone trainings by the Ministry of Agriculture and certification by KEPHIS. Last year she registered her company, Singus Company Ltd in a bid to win more seed supply tenders.

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: 05 December 2017; Hits: 11184

How to spot fake seeds in the market

The Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) has launched a new text based service to enable smallholder farmers detect fake seeds in the market. The move is aimed at dealing with the rising number of counterfeit seeds which have resulted to losses among farmers.

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According to KEPHIS, the informal sector in Kenya accounts for about 60-70 per cent of most seeds planted by farmers across the country. These seeds are usually uncertified therefore denying farmers the chance to maximize yields in their farms. The hardest hit areas include western Kenya and the Rift Valley regions, which form a bulk of Kenya’s bread basket.

Alliance for a Green Revolution (AGRA) reports that on average only about 20 per cent of farmers in Africa use seeds of improved varieties.

In October this year, KEPHIS in collaboration with the Agriculture ministry said all seeds below 10kg will be placed with scratch off sticker labels.

“The labels when scratched reveals a code, farmers can send the code to the number 1393 to ascertain if the seeds are genuine” said KEPHIS Managing Director Esther Kimani.

“If you do not get the company’s and seed details then the seeds are fake and you should report this immediately to the nearest KEPHIS office"

The message will contain the type, species of the seed, the variety, HP class, and the testing date.

A farmer planting maize seeds in her farm

The company is currently training 19 representatives from the seed industry on the seed certification process. Some of the reps who are undergoing two weeks’ training include those from Kenya Seed Company, Pioneer Hybrid, Dryland Seed, East Africa Seed, Agricultural Development Corporation and Gicheha farm amongst others.

The training covers both theory and practical’s and seeks to build capacity of the participants in the production, inspection and testing of quality planting material and promote accessibility of affordable seeds to farmers.

“The training of private seed inspectors is part of the implementation goals for farmers to have quality seeds as envisioned in the vision 2030 where integrity is key for authorization to be a reality” said Kimani.

After the training the representatives will be authorized to complement KEPHIS efforts in enhancing efficiency in the seed certification process.

In the last two years farmers who have used certified seeds have doubled their yields from two million to four million mega tonnes of cereals, soya beans and groundnuts, in monetary terms this has resulted to Sh220 billion in incomes for the smallholder farmers according to AGRA.

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: 24 November 2017; Hits: 9598

Kenyan farmers to access import, export information in five minutes on online portal

The Kenya Trade Network Agency in partnership with Trade Mark East Africa has launched a new online portal that allows farmers to access import, export and international trade procedures within five minutes, a marked improvement from the earlier 10 days.

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The portal is estimated to serve at least 1.5m users per month and consolidates 73 documents under exports, 52 under imports and one under transits (cross border trade) thus ensuring a shorter period in the export and import processes of products such as fertilizers, animal feeds, and flowers among others.

“Importers and exporters who used to take 10 days will now have access to whatever information they need at the click of a button where all public and private players share the platform,” said Trade Mark East Africa Chief Executive Frank Matsaert.

Although Kenya has a well-developed agricultural research system, use of modern science and technology in agricultural production is still limited. With the launch of the new portal, smallholder farmers will be empowered with information to realize their full potential through access of timely data on markets and proper documentation for easy navigation of their produce.

Completion and launch of the information portal makes Kenya the first country in the East Africa Community (EAC) to fulfill Article one of World Trade Organization (WTO) trade facilitation agreement which requires member states to publish their trade procedures online, displaying them step-by-step, with contact information on enquiry points, access to forms and other required documents and all relevant trade and customs laws.

A farmer who would like to export avocadoes for instance will log in to the website infotradekenya.go.ke and follow eight steps in order to obtain clearance for his/her consignment. The first steps would involve contracting a clearing agent through the Kenya Revenue Authority which has an updated list of licensed clearing agents. The cost of the clearing fees will depend on the value of the consignment and negotiations between the clearing agent and the trader.

After obtaining clearance the next step is paying Sh250 for airline concession fees. The fee is paid via mobile payment platforms Airtel money and Mpesa. For Airtel Money, dial *572# and follow the instructions. For Lipa Na MPESA, use Pay Bill No. 572572. The account number for both platforms is the valid e-slip number obtained from the KRA SIMBA system.

The farmer will then submit their original verification documents including KRA receipt, approved invoice, air waybill, phytosanitary certificate and three copies of the clearance entry in presence of the clearing agent who will submit the consignment physically. The consignment is ready for export once an export number has been given.

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