Kenya has taken a major step towards easing the shortage of certified potato seed after the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) commissioned a 630-acre seed potato centre in Kuresoi, Molo, Nakuru County.
The Marindas Seed Potato Centre is set to serve as a key facility for seed multiplication, agricultural research and farmer training, with the aim of bringing quality planting materials, new farming technologies and technical support closer to potato growers.
The centre was commissioned by Agriculture Principal Secretary Paul Kipronoh Ronoh, who said the facility would improve farmers’ access to agricultural research, quality planting materials and support services.
The investment comes at a time when Kenya is facing a wide gap between the amount of certified potato seed required by farmers and what is currently available.
KALRO Director General Patrick K. Ketiem said the country needs about 150,000 metric tonnes of certified potato seed every year, but only 24,000 metric tonnes are currently supplied.
“The numbers show just how much this moment matters,” Ketiem said, noting that Kenya is facing a deficit of roughly 126,000 metric tonnes.
The Marindas centre is being developed as a centre of excellence that will bring together seed multiplication, research and farmer training under one facility.
KALRO expects the centre to raise the supply of quality planting materials, especially for farmers in areas where potato farming is a major economic activity.
Of the 630 acres, about 300 acres will be used for rotational production in every season. The system is expected to help protect soil health while allowing seed multiplication and research work to continue in a sustainable way.
The government is also planning more facilities at the centre as part of efforts to strengthen services available to farmers and support the wider potato value chain.
Ronoh announced plans to establish farmer training facilities and last-mile fertiliser centres at the site. The plans will also include an aggregation and value-addition hub.
The proposed facilities are expected to make it easier for farmers to access farm inputs and training while improving their connection to markets and supporting higher production and incomes.
Principal Secretary for Industry and Investment Juma Mukhwana, who attended the commissioning, pledged to work with other stakeholders in developing a value-addition facility at the centre.
The facility is expected to help bring industrial activities closer to farmers and producers, creating a stronger link between agricultural production and value addition.
For farmers who have previously travelled long distances to obtain certified potato seed, the new centre is expected to reduce that burden.
“For farmers who once travelled as far as Meru for seed, quality planting material is finally within reach and with it, better yields, better incomes and stronger livelihoods,” KALRO said.
Beyond seed production, the centre will provide a direct link between agricultural research and farmers by giving producers access to technologies, technical knowledge and quality planting materials closer to where they farm.
KALRO said combining seed multiplication, research and training at the same site will allow farmers and other players in the potato value chain to benefit from new agricultural ideas and technologies.
The organisation said the investment is part of a wider effort to move agricultural research closer to farmers and ensure research work responds to the needs faced by producers.
The commissioning ceremony brought together KALRO Board Chairman Benson Ngure, board members and KALRO management, as well as Kuresoi North MP Alfred Mutai and Nakuru Deputy Governor David Kones.
National and county government officials, development and research partners, farmers, seed producers and agribusiness stakeholders also attended the event.
The new centre is expected to play a role in narrowing the country’s certified potato seed shortage while helping improve production across the potato value chain.
KALRO said the investment shows the importance of placing agricultural research and technologies closer to producers so that farmers can benefit directly from the work being carried out.
“This is what research close to the farmer looks like,” the institution concluded.