Are you wondering if potatoes farming in Kenya is really profitable? In this analysis, we will look at the estimated revenues, costs and profits you can get for growing the Shangi potato variety using the cost and benefit analysis. The guide concludes with tips to deal with the challenges of potato farming in Kenya.
Potato farming plays a critical role in Kenya’s economy and food security. As a high-value crop, potatoes provide livelihoods for millions of farmers, traders, and processors. They are a staple food in many households and have significant demand in urban markets. However, challenges such as limited access to certified seeds, pests, diseases, and poor storage facilities often hinder productivity.
Shangi Potato Variety
Shangi potatoes are a game-changer for Kenyan farmers, occupying over 80% of the country’s potato production area. Officially released in 2015, Shangi is the most popular variety due to its quick maturity, high yield potential, and adaptability to various agro-ecological zones. Known for its cream skin, white flesh, and oval shape, Shangi potatoes are versatile and meet the needs of both farmers and consumers.
Shangi potato farming benefits.
Shangi potatoes enjoy strong market demand due to their taste, texture, and affordability.
- Rapid Growth: Ready to harvest in just 75-90 days, allowing for multiple crop cycles per year.
- Impressive Yields: Potential to produce 30-40 tons per acre under optimal conditions.
- Strong Market Appeal: A favorite in local markets due to its excellent taste and texture.
- Versatile Use: Perfect for mashing, boiling, roasting, and making chips.
Where to grow potatoes in Kenya.
The main potato growing counties in Kenya are Nakuru, Nyandarua, Kiambu Meru, Bomet, Narok and Bungoma counties as shown in the diagram below. They have some of the best agro- climatic characteristics.
- Altitude: Ideal altitudes range from 1,500 to 3,000 meters above sea level.
- Soil: Potatoes grow best in well-drained, fertile, medium loams with a pH of 5.5–7.5
- Rainfall: Potatoes need 850–1,200 millimeters of well-distributed rainfall during the growing season. In drier regions, invest in irrigation as needed.
- Temperatures: Potatoes grow best in cool temperatures, with an ideal range of 15–20°C
How Profitable is Shangi Potato Farming in Kenya?
Shangi potato farming is highly profitable due to its high yields and short growing cycle. Profitability depends on several factors, including yield per acre, market prices, and input costs. On average, Shangi potatoes sell for Ksh 20–30 per kilogram in Kenyan markets. Input costs such as certified seeds, fertilizers, labor, and pest control also influence profitability.
For profit analysis, let’s assume an average selling price of Ksh 25 per kilogram. With a yield potential of 30 tons (,30000 kg) per acre. Your gross revenue amounts to Ksh 750,000. After deducting production costs (estimated at Ksh 120,000 per acre), farmers can expect a net profit of approximately Ksh 630,000 per acre within just three months.
Shangi potato farming Revenue Estimates
Shangi potatoes have an impressive yield potential when grown under optimal conditions. On average, farmers can harvest 30–40 tons per acre. Factors such as seed quality, spacing, soil fertility, water availability, and pest management significantly affect yields.
Marketable yield is typically around 85% of the total harvest due to losses from pests or damaged tubers. For example, if a farmer produces 30 tons per acre, approximately 25.5 tons will be marketable.
| One Acre | 1/4 Acre | |
| Potential Yield | 30,000 kg (30 tons) | 7, 5000kg (7.5 tons) |
| Marketable Yield | 25,500 kg (25.5 tons) | 6,375kg (6.375 tons) |
| Average Selling Price/Kg | 25 | 25 |
| Total Revenue | 25,500×25 =Ksh 637,500 | 6,375 × 25 =Ksh 159,375 |
As shown above, the gross revenue for revenue for
Shangi potato farming Costs
Looking at how to grow big and more shangi potatoes this season? This section will give you the steps of how to plant and take care of potato. The steps assume the activities of a potato planting calendar:
- Land preparation
- Planting
- Crop nutrition (fertilizers)
- Weeding & ridging
- Crop protection (pests and disease control)
- Harvesting
- Marketing
where possible, we give you the expenses you expect in each step.
Land Preparation costs
Inland preparation, you will lease planting land, plough and harrow it. Other land preparation activities are sourcing for planting seed, soil testing and water testing.
Land Preparation
The Shangi potato variety does well in an altitude range of 1500-2800 meters above sea level. The cost of leasing land in such an area is around KES 4,000 per acre for a year.
Potatoes do well in well-drained soils. You will need to place tubers at a depth of 10 cm. To prepare your farm, you will need to plough it first, then harrow it before you can make planting ridges. Ploughing and harrowing an acre of land goes for around KES 5000 and KES 2,500 per acre using a tractor.
Best Potato seeds in Kenya
Certified potato seeds in Kenya produce higher yields than informal local varieties. Source for them at the onset of rains or the planting season. The recommended seed rate per acre is 900 kg of the small-sized potato seeds. The size 1 seeds are 28-45 mm in diameter.
A 50 kg of potato planting seeds go for KES 2500. You can buy the best shangi planting potato seeds from the Kisima Farm in Meru, Agrico EA PSA if your farm is around Nakuru or the ADC farm in Molo.
soil & water testing
Shangi potatoes does well in an area with ample rainfall of 850-1200 mm of rainfall. Where you need to supplement water supply, use potable water fit for human consumption for irrigation. To test for water, buy a re-usable water testing kit online at a cost of around KES 3,500.
The best soil conditions to grow shangi potato is one that is well-drained with a pH range of 5.5 to 7.5. You can test your soil pH at home using a re-usable soil testing kit. Besides, you can contract an agro vet shop or KARLO to collect a sample and give you test results at a cost of KES 2,500.
Planting
Plant potato seeds before onset of long or the short rainfall season.
The shangi potato spacing is 20-30 cm by 60-90 cm depending on soil and rainfall in your area. You will need 14,800-33,333 tubers per acre.
Place the tubers at a depth of 10 cm with the sprouts (eyes) facing upwards. Cover with a layer of soil. At this period, apply well rotten manure or planting fertilizer to grow healthy potato crops.
Best Fertilizers for potatoes
Looking for the best planting and topdressing fertilizers for potatoes are those rich in phospate and potassium nutrients. The type and volume of fertilizers you will use will depend on the soil testing results.
The recommended application rate is 200 kg of DAP planting fertilizer per acre (1 kg for 25 m furrow). If your soil test results show your farm in acidic, then apply 80kg/acre of the DSP or TSP planting fertilizer.
You will then apply 120Kg/acre of the CAN top-dressing fertilizer before the flowering stage. The total cost you will incur to apply fertilizers for irish potatoes in an acre is KES 22,000. This assumes you will supplement the above fertilizers with 2 kg of foliar feed fertilizer at KES 400 per kg.
Weeding and ridging
Potatoes require deep and well aerated soils to grow big tubers. You are to weed the farm and make well build hills to ridges. Well buried tubers will not turn green and it safe from attach from potato tuber moths.
To earth up your shangi potatoes, it is recommended you do it 2-4 times. The first one is done while weeding them the potato stems are 15-20 cm. The rest is done after every two weeks before your potato can bloom. You should not ridge your potato furrows when the soil is wet as it will compact the soil limiting your tubers to grow big.
Crop protection
To get high potato yields as used in this analysis, you need to protect your shangi potato crop from major potato pests and diseases in Kenya. The worst ones are listed in the table below;
| Potato pests | potato Diseases |
| Potato Tuber Moth Aphids. Potato Cyst Nematode Spider Mites Millipedes Mealybugs Cutworms | Late Blight Early Blight Bacterial Wilt Bacterial Soft Rot Potato Leaf Roll Virus (PLRV) Common scab |
You can control the above using Integrated pest management (IPM) or safe methods to control diseases and pests. IPM is cheaper than conventional pest control. Besides, it will give you high-quality potatoes free of harmful pesticide residues.
The analysis assumes if you follow these pest and disease control methods in this potato farming in Kenya PDF will cost you around KES 27,500 to buy fungicides, insecticides and chemical application or spraying.
Harvesting & post-harvest care
Irish potatoes mature for harvest in 3.5 months after planting. Harvesting costs can be categorized into dehaulming, harvesting and sorting.
Dehaulming: cut the vegetative material two weeks before harvesting. It will harden the skin of tubers to reduce the damage of potato tubers during harvesting & post-harvest handling.
Harvest: After digging out the tubers, clean them and dry them. Ensure you sort them to store the ones free of wounds, insects, pests or diseases.
Sort: Remove tubers that are diseased or injured (cut) tubers to reduce your storage losses and rotting. Remove them before you can grade them for sale.
Grading: The KEPHIS 2016 potato production and certification guidelines recommend you grade potatoes using shape and size.
- Potato Ware: beyond 60 mm gauge
- Potato Seed: 28 – 60 mm gauge
- Potato Chatts: Less than 28 mm gauge
Storage: Store your potatoes fit for sale and cook in a dark store to prevent greening. The room should be cool and well ventilated. Besides, you can leave potato tubers in the soil for 1 – 2 months after cutting stems.
The costs of dehaulming, harvesting, sorting, grading and packaging can cost you around KES 15,00o as shown in the figure above.
Marketing: The potatoes in Kenya are marketed using 50 kg bags. To buy selling bags and transporting potatoes can cost you to KES 5,000.
Shangi potato profits
This section will analyse the gross profits, net profits and simple gross margin analysis to get the gross and net profit/m2.
Gross profit
Potato farming in Kenya is very profitable. According to this analysis You will make a gross profit of KES 122,400 from one acre. It is after deducting KES 127,600 of total costs of growing the crop from total revenues of KES 250,000.
Net profits
You will make a net profit of KES 105,610 for planting shangi potatoes in one acre. It is after deducting additional or other total costs of KES 16790. These are for crop insurance, field visits, transport costs and other contingency costs and errors.
Gross margin profits
The gross margin looks at the cost and profits you make in a unit metre square. You will divide the total costs and profits with the area of an acre or 4048 m2.
According to the result analysis, you will make a gross income of KES 30.24 /m2 for growing potato in Kenya. Your net profit will be KES 26.09/m2. Interestingly, the Gross income/m2 for 5 acres is 31.13 and 27.84 for net profit/m2.
Read Next : Which are the best potato varieties in Kenya?
It is more profitable to farm potatoes in large scale than a small piece of land. It is because you will enjoy benefits of large-scale farming.
Read More:
Please download the best shangi Potato farming PDFs for Free on the links below.
very helpful article please update another for 2023 and the cost of production