2024 LONG RAINS SEED POTATO BOOKING AND DELIVERY ONGOING

Buy seed🥔 we deliver 🚚 to you

Viazi Kings Ltd in partnership with NPCK continues to distribute certified seeds bought through the Viazi Soko platform for the March- April season. Distribution of the Shangi variety is ongoing, with Sherekea, Unica, and Dutch Robijn expected to be distributed in April.
Call 0799739578 or log in to www.npckviazisoko.com to place your order. if you don’t have an account, it’s easy to register one and buy the seeds.

visit: NPCK Facebook page for more info.

VIAZI KINGS LIMITED CREATING EFFICIENCY IN INPUT ORDERING, EXTENSION AND POTATOES MARKET LINKAGES.

Viazi Kings Limited (VKL) is a private limited company registered under the laws of Kenya. The company’s main business operations include; buying, selling, and distributing of seeds and other farm inputs, buying, storing, and distributing ware potatoes, training farmers & offering advisory services. Viazi Kings Limited is working closely with potato farmers and farmers groups to create efficiency along the value chain. We play a crucial role in enhancing potato farming and ensuring food security by enabling farmers to access certified potato seeds for improved productivity and offer market linkages.

Partnerships with value chain actors.
  • Seed potato distribution: We have partnered with seed companies and distribute certified seed potatoes to farmers in potato-producing counties. The farm gate prices of certified seed potatoes are posted on the Viazi Soko platform from where farmers book or order. We aggregate the orders and schedule timely deliveries the process ensures farmers get quality seeds at reduced transaction costs. This has seen the distribution of 280 tonnes of certified seeds since 2021.
  • Fertilizer & Agrochemicals distribution: We have partnered with key input companies to supply fertilizers and agrochemicals to farmers in various potato-producing counties. We are an approved distributor of fertilizers and agrochemicals by Yara, Baraka fertilizers Corteva, Agriscience, and Syngenta.
  • Ware potato buying, transportation, selling, and storage: We have partnered with market outlets and processors to supply quality ware potatoes. Mainly. we buy ware potatoes from farmers, registered farmer groups, and cooperatives in all potato-producing counties. We purchase the following potato varieties; Shangi, Markies, Dutch Robjin, Unica, and Manitou.
Contract farming.
  • We offer contract farming products to farmers for Markies potatoes. The product specifications and prices are discussed before the signing of the contract document.
Extension and advisory services.
  • We provide extension services to both contracted and non-contracted potato farmers through group and individual training. Through farm visits, our field officers can bond with the farmers train them, and help in the aggregation of inputs and ware potatoes.
Employment Creation.
  • We are in partnership with NPCK to have a Farm Service Providers model to enhance the potato business. Farm service providers are youthful individuals selected from farmer groups and are equipped with knowledge and skills in GAPs and ware potato aggregation. The farm service providers are paid a commission for the inputs aggregated which has helped in employment creation and use of quality inputs.

Certified seeds distribution
For inputs, ware potatoes, and market linkages,
contact us on; 0792 589 216 or
email us at viazikingsltd@gmail.com
Instagram :Viazi Kings Karlo Kabete Campus,
off Waiyaki Way
Gladys Kahindo
Manager- Viazi Kings Ltd

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TRANSLATING DIGITAL POTATO MARKETING DREAMS INTO POSSIBILITIES

Delivered to farmers’ respective pick-up points. Farmers who used the platform for the first time to order seed potatoes were impressed by the ease of ordering, convenience in delivery, and the high quality of seeds.

WHAT EVERY POTATO FARMER SHOULD KNOW ABOUT LATE BLIGHT AND EARLY BLIGHT

Potato diseases result in high yield losses both in the field and during storage. This condition has forced farmers to resort to excessive use of agrochemicals, which is posing a danger to the environment, humans, and beneficial organisms. The cost of inputs like agrochemicals and labor is also increasing at an alarming rate. Potato diseases are caused by fungi, bacteria, or viruses. The diseases are therefore described as fungal, bacterial, or viral diseases.

Management of potato diseases requires a multi-faceted approach to eradication of menace facing the farmers. This requires research and efficacy trials by research institutions and information flow to the farmers through the available communication channels such as input providers and the Viazi Soko digital platform, just to mention but a few. Pest Control and Product Board (PCPB) and agrochemical companies provide a list of approved agrochemicals list, at least semi-annually, a contribution that keeps the sector up-to-date with suitable products.

Some of the most serious fungal diseases are late blight and early blight. Most farmers tend to think that these diseases, especially late blight, are caused by cold weather conditions which is in fact, not true. The truth is that the pathogen spreads faster in wet conditions.

Late blight is the most important potato disease because it is caused by an oomycete (water mould) Phytophthora infestans and the disease damages leaves, stems, and tubers. This disease damages leaves, stems, and tubers. There is soft rot of tubers often observed in the store when the field is infected with late blight.  Some of the symptoms include; small pale to dark green spots appearing on the underside of the leaves. Later spread to the stem and tubers. Round, dark brown-looking blotches appear on the underside of the potato leaves. The blotches appear wet and irregular at the margins; the blotches appear brown when dry and black when wet.

Symptoms on the stem are dry, dark brown elongated blotches. Infected stem wilts and dries. On the tuber, light brown blotches that are slightly sunken may appear on the surface. The key indicator of late blight infection is the white downy growth on the underside of the leaf. The lesions are confined to areas between the leaf veins.

Transmission of the disease depends on the life cycle of the Phytophthora infestans which can last between three and fifteen days depending on the prevailing weather conditions and the level of plant resistance. Sources of this fungus can be infected plants from a neighboring field, wild plants, volunteer crops, or infected crops in the field which release spores that reach healthy plants by being carried away by the wind. The favorable conditions for the spread of the fungal pathogen include; high humidity (>85%) and warm temperatures (>15 ĚŠ C).

To control this disease, farmers are advised to; use healthy potato tuber at planting, use varieties with high late blight resistance, cover the tubers always during hilling to prevent tuber infection, and destroy leaves that are infected to prevent tubers from coming into contact with the spores before harvesting, harvest the tubers when they are fully mature to avoid incidences of skin damages and spores entry during harvesting and storage. Lastly, use approved chemicals with fungicides after emergence and repeat regularly based on the prevailing weather conditions.

Potato Roll Samosa

In the potato goodness corner, we shall look at how to prepare Potato Roll Samosa. This is a quick and delicious snack for your family.

Ingredients:

  1. 1 Cup of Flour
  2. Vegetable Oil
  3. 4 large potatoes
  4. 1 tablespoonful of salt
  5. 1 Cup of water
  6. Half a spoon of Black Seed
  7. Chopped chilies or Black Pepper
  8. Coriander leaves
  9. Ginger and garlic
  10. Cumin Powder

Directions:

  1. Mix flour, oil, and salt, in a bowl. Add water gradually as you need to make a dough.
  2. Add black seed, mix well, and cover the dough for about 10 minutes
  3. Peel the potatoes and boil them until well cooked to make them easy when mash.
  4. Add the chopped onions, ground coriander seeds, and chilies/black pepper to the grated potatoes.
  5. Add chili, garlic powder, ginger, cumin, salt and coriander leaves
  6. Mix well to form a thick paste.
  7. Cut the dough into small balls and roll on a board to make oval shapes using a rolling pin
  8. Make a few straight cuts on the rolled dough
  9. Scoop the mashed potatoes and roll them into your palm and then fold them with the rolled dough as you add some water to make sure the dough stays intact.
  10. Repeat the process and after that place the rolls in hot oil
  11. Keep turning them until they turn golden brown.
  12. Remove from the oil and place them on a tray with paper cover to absorb excess oil
  13. Serve with tea or your favorite beverage and enjoy.

HONEY CHILI POTATOES RECIPE

Honey Chili potato is a hugely popular Chinese dish, which is a juicy, crunchy, and full-of-flavor snack that you just cannot resist. A delicious pick for kids, the great taste of honey chili potatoes can be brought home in a few easy steps. Try this recipe and you’ll never head to those street stalls again!

Ingredients of Honey Chili Potatoes Recipe

For the potatoes:

  • 2 peeled potatoes (sliced).
  • 3-4 tablespoons of corn flour or Maida.
  • 1 tsp red chili powder.
  • Oil (for deep frying).

For the base

  • 1 tablespoon of oil.
  • Fried spring onions (with stalk).
  • 1 tablespoon of garlic paste.
  • 1 sliced capsicum.
  • 2 tablespoons of honey.
  • Salt to taste.
  • 1/4 tablespoon of soya sauce.
  • 3 tablespoons white sesame seeds.
  • 2 tablespoons of chili sauce.

How to Make Honey Chili Potatoes

Prepare the potatoes:

  1. In a bowl, add corn flour or Maida, salt, and red chili powder.
  2. Add the sliced potatoes and mix well until the potatoes are coated.
  3. Heat oil in a wok and deep fry the potatoes until golden. Keep aside.

Prepare the base:

  1. In a wok, add oil, garlic paste and spring onions. Sauté on high heat for 1 minute.
  2. Add capsicum, honey, salt, soya sauce, and chili sauce. Sauté for 2-3 minutes.
  3. Add the deep-fried potatoes and sesame seeds. Mix well and serve hot.

ELGEYO MARAKWET TO SCALE UP POTATO SEEDS PRODUCTION

Farmer groups in 14 potato-producing wards in Elgeyo Marakwet County received seed potatoes from the County Government in partnership with the Agriculture Sector Development Support Programme (ASDSP). The 300 bags of superior pre-basic and C2 seeds were sourced from Nakuru and Nyandarua counties in an initiative aimed at enabling County farmer groups to generate their seeds for future seasons.

During the flagging off of the seeds, the Chief Officer of Agriculture Timothy Kiptum said the shangi variety had been certified by the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) and that every measure had been taken to ensure they were disease-free. “As a County, we are encouraging our farmers to join cooperatives and take advantage of economies of scale as well as extension services from the County”. The seeds shall be distributed through the Elgeyo Marakwet Potato Cooperative Society.

The County Secretary Paul Chemmuttut appreciated the role played by ASDSP in partnering with the County in the promotion of high-value crops in the County. “By supporting our farmers to produce their seeds, we will ensure that shortly, we shall be seed-sufficient and we will not have to import seeds from other counties,” he said. He added that the County was in the process of setting up a potato seed multiplication center at the County’s Chebara Agricultural Training Centre through support from the

growing,” she said. The goal of the initiative is to reduce costs that go into outsourcing seeds which she said was both expensive and posed the risk of disease importation. World Bank.

The ASDSP Coordinator Jane Tallam, revealed that as part of the seed multiplication plan, the farmer groups had set aside one acre each in all the 14 wards to ensure that the potato seeds are available for future seasons. “The second-generation C2 seeds we have brought are for purposes of training farmers on the best practices in potato

Source: https://kilimonews.co.ke/counties/elgeyo-marakwet-to-scale-up-potato-seeds-production/