News on Potatoes in Retail from Africa

The outbreak of the Red Sea crisis has taken its toll on many Egyptian export campaigns - citrus fruits being the first casualty - but it seems that the potato export campaign is holding up well. 

Potato farmers in Rwanda are counting their losses, claiming that they are selling their produce at 'giveaway' prices, despite the cost remaining high on the market.

Viazi (potatoes in Kiswahili) are grown in Kenya since the 19th century. The production and consumption of the potato have grown steadily since.

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.

Production of potatoes in sacks has proved to be a non-profitable venture with farmers registering zero to one kilogram per plant, according to Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union (ZCFU) president Mr Wonder Chabikwa

This week Fresh-Produce bv in Waalwijk received the first Egyptian potatoes. According to Harold Loonen of Fresh-Produce the quality is very good.   "Supply is going to be big. I expect to import more Egyptian potatoes than in previous years. It...