Nairobi's restaurants and local chips processors face potato shortage due to Kenyan violence

A shortage of potatoes is expected to hit restaurants in Nairobi and other towns in the next few weeks because of the violence that has crippled the Rift Valley Province.

Nairobi has more than 800 restaurants and over 40 local processors of crisps whose operations are expected to be severely affected by the shortage.

Potatoes, which are mainly grown by small-scale farmers now rank second to maize in terms of food security. The Kenya National Federation of Agricultural Producers Nakuru Chapter chairman, Mr Samuel Gitonga told the Nation yesterday that most areas in Rift Valley where farmers grow potatoes had been adversely affected by the violence that flared up after the December General Election.

Farmers in districts such as Bomet and Kericho produce about 10,000 metric tonnes of potatoes annually each, while neighbouring Molo and Nakuru districts exceed those figures.

Mr Gitonga said that farmers had no potato storage facilities on their premises, which meant that ware (uncertified seed) potatoes that were not transported to market would be lost.