Aardappelketen

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.

The Food & Business Knowledge Platform - a knowledge platforms focused on food security initiated by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs - supported a fact-finding mission in East Africa to explore the potential of the usage of hybrid true potato seeds (TPS) for this region

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.

President Adam Barrow has lifted a ban on the import of onions and potatoes into the West-African country Gambia.

Cros Agro Allied Ltd, a Nigerian agribusiness company, has announced a commitment to invest $65 million in the country’s potato sector, which includes the realization of the production of French fries and potato flakes

South Africa’s competition watchdog (Competition Commission South Africa) has charged the Dutch seed potato breeder HZPC Holland B.V. and its exclusive South African distributor Wesgrow Potatoes for anti-competitve conduct for the exclusive supply of the variety Mondial.

Situated in the Northeast of Tanzania, the district of Lushoto is part of the so called highlands of Tanzania where potatoes are traditionally grown. Due to heat and lack of resilient potato varieties, farmers would often lose all the crop.

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.

In a bid to increase yields of Irish potatoes production in Tanzania, Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzanians (SAGCOT) has introduced a new system where its growers are encouraged to use modern tilling tractors in its pilot study areas.

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

The price of potatoes in South Africa is expected to increase in the next four weeks – and there is a chance of even more hikes in December.

World Potato Congress (WPC) will be facilitating a roundtable for the private sector during the African Potato Congress in October, which will be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

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.

Michael Agbogo, co-founder of Vicampro, disclosed that Nigerians consume about 120 tonnes of French fries daily, even as the whole of West Africa region lacks real food processors. According to him, 'Nigeria imports about $200 million worth of French fries annually'...