Why Migori is banking on sweet potato farming
A farmer displays some of his sweet potatoes harvested on a small portion of land
What you need to know:
- Migori County Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, and Blue Economy Executive Lucas Mosenda says sweet potatoes are a flagship crop.
- The crop withstands harsh weather conditions, has low production costs, and ability to do well in the region compared to other farm products like maize.
John Rioba from Masaba, Kuria West in Migori County has been growing sweet potatoes for over a decade. Mr Rioba says sweet potatoes are a great source of food security and that they have helped him provide for his family despite the changing weather patterns.
"The orange flesh sweet potatoes take about two and a half to three months to mature. They are not only delicious but also incredibly nutritious," he says.
The farmer uses brokers to manage the high sweet potato market demand, although they do not have a standard price.
The average farm gate price for a 100kg bag of sweet potato is between Sh1,000 and Sh1,500, while extended bags cost between Sh2,000 and Sh4,500.
"We have a better market price during droughts when sweet potato harvests are low. I have customers in Nairobi and Mombasa, where I travel three times a month," says Roseline Akinyi, a sweet potato broker.
Migori County Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, and Blue Economy Executive Lucas Mosenda says sweet potatoes are a flagship crop. The crop withstands harsh weather conditions, has low production costs, and ability to do well in the region compared to other farm products like maize.
“We are promoting sweet potato production because the crop is widely grown here in all the eight sub-counties,” says Mr Mosenda. Mr Mosenda says the county produces 13 million kilogrammes of sweet potatoes per season, a massive amount that the country cannot consume on its own.
“We still have export potential and that is why we call upon investors and traders to come and buy from here and package the crop for export. I know it is an opportunity that remains unexploited in Migori County,” he adds.
To increase the value of the crop and provide better income to farmers, the county government has partnered with the European Union to construct a sweet potato processing plant in Kuria West.
“From the processing plant, we get products such as sweet potato puree and flour used in making cakes. It is a compliment to wheat products. The crop has more advantages because of its nutritional benefits, adds Mr Mosenda.
The processing plant also serves as an aggregation centre.
Sweet potato is primarily a warm-weather crop that thrives in temperatures ranging from 20 to 24 degrees Celsius. When temperatures fall below 10 degrees, growth is slowed and researchers advise against growing the crop in cold environments.
It is the warm weather that allows the crop to thrive in places like Migori. The crop also grows well in sandy-loamy soil but not clay soil due to its inability to withstand water logging. It’s a good crop cover that protects the soil from water erosion due to its vines, according to researchers.
Its roots act as a fabric to hold the soil, resulting in a strong soil fabric that makes it a good mitigation for heavy rainfall.
According to John Ndungu, a senior research scientist at the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization, different sweet potato varieties grow well depending on the climatic conditions.
He points out that despite changing rainfall patterns, sweet potato has a competitive advantage in the country because it is a more weather-resistant crop.
“Sweet potato prefers lower to mid-elevations and that is why the crop is doing well around lake basin regions like Migori, Homabay, Kisumu, Kakamega Busia and the Coastal region,” says Mr Ndung’u.
“The crop also needs annual rainfall of 750-1,000mm for production. However, some varieties are known to be drought-tolerant,” adds Mr Ndungu.
He believes the future looks bright for sweet potato farmers because the flour blending initiative in Kenya, which is currently awaiting approval, will provide them with a thriving market.
According to the flour blending initiative, all wheat flour millers in the country will blend wheat flour with 10 per cent orange flesh sweet potato flour. “Sweet potato is the crop for the future as it provides vitamin A. The purple variety has anthocyanin, which is an antioxidant that clears all the free radicals in the blood,” explains Mr Ndung’u.
