The North Rift Region Potato Fair was held on 22nd February 2019 at the Agricultural Mechanization Service (AMS) Chepkoilel, Eldoret. 31 exhibitors displayed their products and services in the areas of Crop protection, Mechanization, Soil nutrition, Seed and Ware potato production, Financing, crop rotation among others. The event had 1,218 registered participants that included farmers, stakeholders, and development partners in the potato subsector from all over the country. The event was organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock Development and Fisheries and the directorate of agricultural mechanization in Uasin Gishu County in partnership with NPCK and was supported by Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA).
The potato fair provides a platform for one-on-one interaction between potato farmers and input and service providers as well as an opportunity to showcase their latest innovations and practical demonstration on good agronomic practices in the demonstration plots. Exhibitors were impressed by farmers’ genuine interest to learn, network and purchase their products while farmers were amazed by the crop performance at the demonstration plots despite the drought that was being experienced in the region.
The event was graced by Dr. Oscar Magenya, Director at State Department for Agricultural Research who represented Hon. Mwangi Kiunjuri, the Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Irrigation. In his speech he reiterated the government’s commitment in improving the potato subsector as outlined in the Big 4 Agenda. The deputy governor of Uasin Gishu, H.E Daniel K. Kiprotich Chemno also graced the event and urged farmers in the county to diversify their crops in order to reduce the risks associated with relying on one crop.
