Potato News from Kenya

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.

A Kenyan investor based in the US wants to construct an ultra-modern sweet potato processing factory in Homa Bay. Consolata Bryant met Governor Cyprian Awiti yesterday and agreed to work with the county government to build the factory.

Potato in Kenya is an important food crop, second to maize. In 2011 the Dutch and Kenyan government agreed to support an initiative to support seed potato development in Kenya in order to increase yields and enhance food security.

During a recent meeting of governors and county representatives from 14 counties in Nakuru (Kenya) on irish potato production, packaging and marketing, it was resolved that from January 2014, farmers should pack their produce in not more than 50kg bags.

Njoroge is studying a new lineage of Phytophthora infestans called KE-1 that is spreading rapidly across East Africa.

Cutting food waste went a notch higher on Tuesday evening as world ministers were treated to a feast of Kenyan foodstuff rejected by UK supermarkets.

Según estudios recientes, la población del patógeno en Kenia y parte de Uganda se ha modificado tan rápidamente que podría volverse inmanejable para los agricultores.

Pearl Capital Partners (Pearl) has recently concluded an investment of KSh 200 million (US$ 2,300,000) in the Kenyan potato processor Midlands Limited through the African Agricultural Capital Fund (AACF).

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.