The Agriculture and Food Authority is to enforce guidelines of potato packaging in bags of over 50 kilograms from April 1,2021 once section 42 of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Authority Act of 2013 comes into force.
The authority says that the measures set is to weed out middlemen who use extended bags of 130 to 260 kilograms leading to price differences of up to 1000 per cent.
“We have now engaged an enforcement multi-agency team in the county of Nairobi that will also begin sensitization of traders for Nairobi markets and its environs by the end of this month,” said AFA.
In 2019, the Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture gazetted the Crops (Irish Potato) Regulations, which provide for the regulation of production, grading, storage, collection, transportation, warehousing, marketing and processing, of Irish potatoes.
To this end, Surveillance teams from AFA, Food directorate reported a high level of non-compliance with the regulations. It is for this reason that AFA is moving in to enforce strict guidelines.
So far AFA has gathered a total of 130 inspectors to enforce the regulations in several counties including Nyandarua, Narok, Nakuru,Meru, Nyeri, Elgeyo Marakwet, Uasingishu, Kiambu and Nairobi.
