Nanyuki: Governors from the Mt Kenya region have dismissed a recent report from Egerton University that indicates farmers used harmful pesticides in their potato farming.
According to Kenya News Agency, the leaders, led by Nyeri County Governor Dr. Mutahi Kahiga, described the research titled ‘Influence of On-farm Pesticide Practices and Processing Methods on Pesticide Residue Levels in Potato Tubers in Nyandarua County, Kenya’, as ‘unfounded rumours’ about Nyandarua’s cash crop.
Governor Kahiga, speaking at the Nanyuki Agricultural Show, expressed frustration, stating, “Let us stop making unconfirmed rumours about Mt Kenya. It is very unfortunate that issues of potatoes are splashed all over the newspapers. Even the people who are talking about it even think potatoes grow from the sky.”
Nyandarua Governor Dr. Kiarie Badilisha lamented that potato farmers in his county were under threat and were not consulted during the research process. He added, “After some time, you claim you have a report you are selling to the social media and mainstream media claiming that potatoes are poisoned; it’s wrong, and farmers are here to be trained on good farming methods.”
Governor Badilisha emphasized that the accusations were demonizing the efforts of hardworking farmers, which they would not tolerate. “We are not going to entertain anyone who uses any platform to demonize the work that our farmers are doing since they are doing great work and they have no capacity to produce chemicals,” he said. “They only use chemicals that have been approved by the relevant government agencies.”
He also highlighted the collaboration between county and national governments aimed at ensuring the production of quality and healthy food. Laikipia Governor Joshua Irungu encouraged other higher institutions of learning to verify the report to instill confidence in the potato farming sector. “We are focusing on sustainable agriculture, and when information gets out without a good research background, it is worrying. Laikipia is on the verge of producing potatoes on a large scale beyond Nyandarua,” Irungu noted.
Governor Irungu called on Chuka, Embu, and Laikipia universities to conduct their own studies to verify the research findings. The study report indicated that 11.85 percent of farmers adhered to the manufacturer’s recommended application rate, while 74.63 percent relied on advice from agrochemical retailers, and 13.32 percent sought advice from fellow farmers. The research has since faced widespread criticism from Nyandarua farmers.
In Kenya, potatoes are the second most produced crop after maize, with an average annual production of 1.35 million tonnes.
