Potato Farming In Kenya Tips To Succeed With High Profits

Potato farming in Kenya is one of the most lucrative business you can start today. Here is a complete guide for you that I have prepared to help make you a better farmer whether you are a beginner or an established potato farmer.

All the needed tips to be a successful potato farmer is all here. Keep in mind that to make maximum profits you need to have sufficient knowledge to enhance your expertise. Lets get to details.

Choose The Best Farming Land

The first stage to venture in successful potato farming in Kenya is to locate land in a high-production zone.

Potatoes are a highland crop that thrives in most of Kenya’s major cities, including Molo, Kinangop, Taita Hills, Yatta, Timboroa, and sections of Laikipia.

Points to remember when choosing potato farming land:

Avoid property with a poor potato producing history.
To avoid frost bite, stay away from land that is close to a river.
It shouldn’t be too far away from the tarmac about 1-2Km.
Look for one that has a reddish-brown dirt.

Land Preparation For Potato Farming

Potatoes are grown from seed. Before field preparation, 200-250 maunds of well decomposed farm yard manure per acre should be introduced into the soil.

To provide seed tubers with enough moisture for germination, the field is soaked roughly two weeks before sowing.

For optimum growth and tuber production, good water penetration and aeration are required.

Compaction is caused by excessive tillage and ground preparation, which should be avoided.

To be effective, the soil within the usual root zone should be plowed below any compacted layer and then disk harrowed before planting.

Just before planting, spike-tooth harrowing may be required to break up clods and level the soil.

Buying Potato Seeds In Kenya

If you want the best harvest, you’ll need the best disease-free seeds with a high potential for yield.

Only purchase seeds that have been certified.
Consult with local farmers to learn which breeds thrive in the area.
Tigoni, Kenya Mpya, Asante, and Shangi are examples of potato breeds.

Planting And Harvesting Of Potatoes

Potato farming is more lucrative business in Kenya since potatoes mature after about 90 days. However, before maturity there are a number of activities that you need to engage in before you obtain a good harvest.

There is application of fertilizer, weeding, watering, diseases and pesticides control, and harvesting.

Note that once you harvest, you need to store the potatoes in a dark dry place to prevent greening. Also, you need to locate find a market for your produce as soon as possible since potatoes are perishable products.

Thus, you need expert power on how to effectively engage in these activities while doing potato farming in Kenya. Liaising with other successful potato farmers can be a great was to making a better step towards your success.

Cost Of Planting Potatoes In Kenya

From planting to harvesting, an acre of potatoes will cost approximately Ksh. 80,000. This cost accounts for fertilizer, weeding, pest control, diseases control, and harvesting cost among other potato farming expenses.

Using this investment, lets analyze the possible profits. Note that profits depends with the variety of potato you have chosen to plant.

A sack of Shangi potatoes costs Ksh4,000 on the market right now. In three months, one acre of land may generate 80 sacks of potatoes.

One sac of potatoes should weigh 110Kgs according to the standards of National Potato Council of Kenya.

So, let’s get down to calculations:

Potato Gross Revenue

This is the total money to expect after selling your produce at the current market price.

Ksh4,000 x 80 bags = Ksh320,000.

Potato Net Profit

This is now your profit after deducting all your expenses incurred.

Ksh320,000 (Revenue) – Ksh80,000 (Expenses) = Ksh240,000

7 Tips For Successful Potato Farming In Kenya

1 Plant Potato Seeds That Have Been certified.

When you plant seed potatoes, you are planting a potato that was generated the previous year by the plant. The seed potato inherits whatever diseases or insects that the mother plant may have had. When you plant certified seed potatoes, you can be confident you’re starting with disease-free potatoes.

2 Your Potatoes Should Be Chitted.

Pre-sprouting or chitting your potato seeds before planting into the earth can give them a head start.

3 Grow in direct sunlight.

Plant your potatoes in an acidic, well-drained soil where they will receive full sun about 6-8 hours per day.

4 Cooler Weather Is Preferable To Potatoes.

Potato farming in Kenya should be done during the rainy seasons in Kenya. Free availability of water and cooling effect favors potato growing. Maintain a consistent moisture level in the potato bed by watering it every week by 1-2 inches (2.5-5 cm).

5. Cover The Tubers Always

To keep your potatoes from developing green skin, cover them with earth or severely mulch them so that no light gets them.

6. Allow the potatoes to fully mature before storing them.

After the plants blossom, you can start picking new potatoes as needed for meals. Allow the tubers to mature in the ground if you’re growing potatoes for storage.

Cure unwashed potatoes before storage to allow the skins to thicken and recover. Cured tubers should be stored in a dark environment in covered boxes or containers with ventilation openings. Potatoes should be stored at 32-40 degrees Fahrenheit and 80-90 percent relative humidity.

7. For Healthy Soil, Rotate Your Potato Crop.

Potato farming should be alternated every three years in the garden. This means you shouldn’t plant potatoes in the same area again for another 3 or 4 years. After the potatoes, plant beans, leafy greens, a cover crop, or something else that isn’t in the Solanaceae family.

Check Farm Tips