Agriculture CS Peter Munya says they have spoken with KFC on the issue of the fast food chain not sourcing their potatoes locally. This comes in the backdrop of recent complains when the fast food chain said it had ran out of potatoes and couldn’t procure locally due to quality standards needed.
“We met and told them to tell us what variety they want and since it is available, we will make arrangements for seed multiplication so that by June they will be sourcing potatoes from us”, says Munya. He says that the variety is available from Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KARLO) and private farmers and the government will buy seeds from them and distribute to farmers.
The CS however says that doesn’t mean the locally grown varieties do not make good chips. He gives the example of the big hotels in the country who source their potatoes locally and says even international visitors enjoy them.
At the same time, the CS says that only 5% of potatoes produced in the country are used in chips making while the rest is consumed in households.
