News on Potato Varieties and Seed from Africa

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.

Some 300 Irish potato farmers in Cameroon received 30 tonnes of quality Irish potato seeds and farm inputs to improve production and productivity.

The private sector has been urged to invest in Rwanda's Irish potato production so as to address the shortage and help prevent price fluctuations.

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.

Scientists in Uganda will soon start confined trials of genetically modified strains of Irish potato designed to be resistant to Phytophthora infestans, the fungus that causes potato blight, now devastating the crop in the west of the country.

The potato (Irish) that has fed the people of southwestern Uganda (Kabale) for generations is being threatened by several pests and diseases, including the potato bacterial wilt.

A recent case study by the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) showcases a new effort to produce high quality seed potatoes for farmers in Tanzania.

A CIP project in Kenya and other African nations is fostering private adoption of a three-generation seed multiplication strategy. Combined with improved knowledge and skills the project should lead to average yield increases of 20%.

“The timely availability of seed of well-adapted varieties will enhance the sustainability and economics of potato production in Mozambique,” notes CIP’s Maria Andrade, breeder and seed system specialist. Mozambique released seven new potato varieties...

Er heerst opluchting in de pootgoedhandel. De export op Noord-Afrika en Egypte is zo goed als gedaan en heeft hierdoor geen belemmeringen ondervonden in verband met de onrust in deze gebieden.

El maíz es la comida favorita en Kenia. A sus habitantes les encanta. Sin embargo, los investigadores están buscando la forma de cambiar ese hábito. Por eso el Centro Internacional de la Papa (CIP) y el Instituto de Investigación Agrícola de Kenia (KAR...

Victor Otazu, a aeroponic specialist with the International Potato Center, tends to some aeroponic potato plants in Nairobi, Kenya. Kenyans love to eat maize. It's the country's favorite food. But researchers at the Kenya Agricultural Research Institu...

The Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (Kari) has introduced a new farming technology for breeding multiple disease free potato tubers in a bid to achieve a widespread take-off in productivity for the country’s potato farmers.

The Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (Kari) is testing new potato varieties ahead of a planned release next April for mid- and high-altitude regions.

The South African government has rejected the Agriculture Research Council’s (ARC’s) application to provide genetically modified potatoes to local farmers, saying it was concerned about its safety and economic effect. “This is probably the mo...

A pest-resistant strain of genetically modified potato, earmarked for possible commercial release in South Africa, will be of no use to local spud farmers, said the African Centre for Biosafety (ACB) this week. It will also increase risk to the farmer ...