Aardappelketen uit Afrika

Potato tubers are affected by a number of blemishes, which can cause severe economic losses. This 'Focus on Potato' presentation by Jacquie van der Waals, Professor at the University of Pretoria in South Africa can serve as a guide for growers and others in the potato industry to help with identification of these blemishes.

In Rwanda a new potato processing plant was opened, with the capacity to produce four potato products; chips, french fries, whole peeled potato, and whole cleaned potatoes for sale to super markets and schools.

You can now join the East Africa Potato Value Chain Knowledge Sharing Portal, which aims to address the scientific and technological divide in the field of agricultural value-chain innovations by enabling East African research organizations to create, update and use scientific knowledge and technological innovations.

Researchers from the University of Nairobi, the International Potato Centre (CIP) and others ave started a pilot project in Tanzania, where a drone was able to pinpoint 14 different varieties of sweet potatoes in Ukiriguru Research Institute in Mwanza.

An unidentified agricultural company from the Netherlands will support farmers in large scale potato production in the irrigated area of ​​Matala, in Angola’s Huila province.

Drought and hot conditions since September 2015 have a negative impact on yields in almost all the potato production regions in South Africa. Currently market prices are at the highest levels ever, while potato stock levels are at record low levels.

In Uganda, a series of field trials began in 2015 to assess whether twelve highly resistant GM plants of the ‘Desiree’ and local ‘Victoria’ variety provided by the International Potato Center CIP offer a durable resistance to late blight

The Dutch Embassy in Kenya will next week launch the Potato Value Chain Africa website at the Eldoret Agri-Trade Fair, in a bid to support farmers in the country.

In the African country of Cameroon, the Delegate Minister of the Minister of Economy, Yaouba Abdoulaye, officially launched on 5th and 6th August 2015 two new agricultural plants or agropoles for the production, processing and sale of potatoes and pineapples respectively.

In Rwanda, a new potato wholesale market in the capital Kigali and collection centres in areas where potatoes are grown are part of a plan to modernize the value supply chain for the potato crop.

The Algerian Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Abdelouahab Nouri, has announced a programme to tackle the problem of soaring potato prices, consisting in the adoption of a new marketing strategy to connect producers and consumers directly.

The Cameroonian Ministry of Industry has just issued a call for tenders to hire a research firm to conduct a technical, institutional and financial study on behalf of the government to create a potato-processing project for Kumbo in the North-West region.

The first production plant for French Fries in Uganda was commissioned last Friday and will provide opportunities for potato farmers in three countries: Uganda, Rwanda and Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo

Kenya loses Sh19 billion annually due to poor production and processing of potatoes, a 2014 study has revealed.

The Nyandarua government is partnering with the National Potato Council and German organisation GTZ to introduce varieties of potatoes suitable for processing

Prices of Irish potatoes in Rwanda are likely to stabilise following a new agreement between farmers and City of Kigali traders to establish mutually beneficial cooperation.

Plans are underway to construct an Irish potato processing plant in Musanze District to cut down post-harvest losses, Tony Nsanganira, the State Minister for Agriculture, has said.

Rwanda potato farmers have decried the low farm-gate prices currently being offered by dealers.