Uasin Gishu County Government has embarked on the construction of a new cold room storage facility in Olare-Ainabkoi ward, Ainabkoi sub-County in a bid to minimise wastage incurred by famers in  the region after production.

A team from the County Public Works Department inspected the ongoing works on the state of the art facility which will have a capacity of 1,500 metric tonnes of potatoes in a year.

According to Governor Jonathan Bii, the facility will be installed with modern technology to maintain optimal temperature for the stored potatoes.

Governor Bii said that once completed, the facility will serve more than 5,000 famers, minimise wastage and enhance the standards of requirements for potatoes in both local and international markets.

"This project will go a long way in solving many challenges for our potato famers including selling potatoes at a throw away price for fear of getting rotten due to poor storage," Governor Bii noted.

He added that the facility will help boost production and attract good prices noting that  the potatoes will be sold at the right time.

In his Nguzo Number 6 on infrastructural development in his campaign manifesto, Governor Bii outlines his vision on strategic planning, excellent designs for projects and implementation of projects that ensures sustainable growth to meet the holistic needs of the county residents.

County Executive incharge of Roads, Transport and Public Works Joseph Lagat expressed satisfaction with the implementation process of the project and urged his team to work closely with the contractor to ensure the project is completed and commissioned on the stipulated time.

"This is a testament of our Governor's commitment to creating sustainable solutions for our famers towards economic growth and achieving food security," said Eng Lagat.

"As a department, we will continue supporting the initiative by providing the requisite skills during implementation of such key projects," he added.

He reiterated that Governor Bii's administration is committed to improving infrastructure so as to minimise post-harvest losses, create competitiveness and job opportunities along the value chain as well as ensuring economic viability.

North Rift region is among the leading potatoes production areas in the county with Ainabkoi in Uasin Gishu County and many parts of Elgeyo-Marakwet County leading the pack.