Kenya is expected to benefit from this bilateral agreement with the government of the Netherlands to produce new varieties of potatoes and boost potato growing in Kenya.
Potatoes are the second most important crop in Kenya, coming in just behind maize. The decline in production has been blamed on poor seed. Kenya lacks good quality seed potatoes and there is tendency to use those from previous harvests, a bad practice that can lead to pest and disease problems.
According to Hans Wolff, agricultural counsellor, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation in the Netherlands, "For long we have been looking at sectors where we could partner and contribute to food security in Kenya and we thought that there is a gap in potato farming. We hope the Kenya-Dutch project will further contribute to high nutrition and economic stability in the country."
