Potato News from Kenya

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

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.

Switzerland-based New Ventures, through its food and beverage subsidiary Kingdom Foods has announced plans to set up a potato processing factory in Kenya, to be located in Elgeyo-Marakwet.

Some 23,000 farmers in 13 potato-producing counties in Kenya have signed contracts with various potato processing companies in the country to buy the produce to supply enough food to consumers.

A bilateral trade deal between Scotland and Kenya opens up the Kenyan Potato market to the import of Scottish Seed potatoes

In a sign of a maturing market, two potato processing companies in Kenya - Tropical Heat - a snack manufacturer - and Sereni Fries said they will sign contracts with growers to supply 600 tonnes of potatoes every month in order to assure their supply of potatoes suitable for processing.

The Nyandarua county Government (Kenya) has entered into a partnership with the German Government to help boost its potato production.

Kenya is set to launch new varieties of potatoes that will boost quality and yield.

The fast expansion of cities and towns and the popularity of fast foods have created a rapidly increasing demand for potatoes in Kenya.

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.

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.

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

Nakuru will test and release (late blight resistant) varieties of potato seeds for small-scale farmers, Agriculture executive Dr Stanley Chepkwony has said.

Nyandarua county in Kenya will benefit from an investment in a potato project that will involve large-scale production, processing and marketing.

Kenyan potato factory Midlands limited not only adds value at the processing level but also from the farm gate. It provides land in case one has none, cultivates and offers advisory services during planting, dressing and harvesting

Under a bilateral deal with lead potato seed producer the Netherlands, the government has cleared four new potato seed varieties for use by local farmers.

The recently published LEI/WUR report ‘The value chain for seed and ware potatoes in Kenya’ emphasises the importance of conditioned storage for the continuous availability of certified seed potatoes.