News on The Potato Supply Chain from Africa

Seed potato farmers in Kenya’s potato growing regions are adopting a new technology with potential to boost quality seed availability: the farmers are using rooted apical cuttings as starter material for seed production as opposed to certified seed.

New potato varieties are needed in Rwanda to meet the current market demands. Nevertheless, the potato variety Kinigi is still favorite among farmers as well as in the community of potato consumers.

To deal with climate pressures, potato growers in Kenya are turning to contract farming to earn more money and get better seed.

District Agricultural officers in Uganda have been urged to embrace Irish potato tissue culture so as to improve the quality and quantity of Irish potato production, which is one of the best foods to fight hunger.

The Government of Rwanda is in the process of privatising the Nyabihu District-based potato processing plant amid tight market and low production capacity, according to the The New Times.

BlackPace Africa Group has bought Ndiyo Business Group, a major producer of salted potato chips in Rwanda.

Jordan has lifted its ban on the import of Egyptian potatoes, according to the Egyptian Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation

Hanawa Super Foods has contracted over 1 000 farmers to grow potatoes as it moves to cut imports, a company official said.

The International Potato Center (CIP) and BlackPace Africa Group (BPA) executed a Technical and Scientific agreement to advance potato production in Africa, with focus on Rwanda.

The government of Rwanda has signed a multimillion dollar deal with a Nigerian investor, the Blackpace Africa Group, to revamp and develop Rwanda’s potato industry and help make the country a key producer and exporter of potato products.

Experts in potato breeding and research have identified Eastern Province of Rwanda as a potential alternative for clean potato seed production.

Potato Research in Eritrea has come up with a suitable disease resistant variety. The farmers selected to test the new variety, called for distribution to all farmers.

BlackPace Africa, an Africa-focused investment management and advisory firm, and the Plateau State government have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) towards a joint development arrangement to upscale potato production in the state and set up a potato processing facility in Jos, the state capital.

Zambia and South Africa may be perfectly at peace, but farmers on either side of the Limpopo River - the border between the two countries - seem engaged in a trade war. And it is mostly about potatoes...

A survey done in 20 counties in Kenya released earlier this month, shows that Potato Cyst Nematode infestation has reached 80 to 100 per cent in some of the potato growing areas.

Zimbabwe has run out of potatoes for making potato chips, prompting potato chips manufacturer Hanawa Super Foods to request an import permit to buy potatoes from South Africa from the Industry and Commerce ministry.

The potato value chain project in Plateau state (Nigeria) - to be funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) - will be formally launched in the state by June.

Potato farming in Nigeria has the potential to generate billions of Naira (millions of USD) annually. Nigeria produces about 1.5 million tons of potato per year and has a per capita consumption of about 7kg per year. However, many farmers struggle to sell to formal commercial buyers, mainly due to poor product quality and lack of organization.