Potato News from Africa

Reducing wastage in the food chain is high on the Moroccan government's agenda. Food wastage is also an important theme at the upcoming SIAM - Salon International de l’Agriculture in Meknès - agricultural trade show.

In Kenya, potatoes are a key staple food, second only to maize. Yet its potato value chain has been underdeveloped for decades also. This has been acknowledged by the Kenyan government.

For the past year, PepsiCo Egypt has been working to empower Egyptian farmers by supporting them through training programs aimed at providing them with stronger technical know-how and other skills to improve efficiency and productivity.

PepsiCo joins Veris as a major shareholder in Senselet Food Processing Plc in Ethiopia. Senselet, founded in 2015, today has a leading market position in Ethiopia with its SUN Chips brand that is being produced from locally sourced potatoes.

For as long as Monique Vlok can remember, her father, Frans, produced vegetables on rented land near Citrusdal. When the company he worked for was bought out, he took his package and in 2003 cashed in all his investments to buy the farm Valskuil.

The Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB) has started testing True Potato Seeds, which are produced by Solynta, a Dutch firm that develops hybrid potatoes. True Potato Seeds are collected from the berries or fruits of the potato plant.

A trade delegation including Western Australian (WA) potato industry leaders toured Egypt in November, confirming the potential to export at least 10,000 tonnes of seed potatoes.

The World Potato Congress is pleased to announce that Mr. Wachira Kaguongo has accepted to become the World Potato Congress Inc.’s (WPC) newest International Advisor.

Rwanda Agricultural Board has said that it is working with agricultural experts to introduce affordable technologies that could help store potatoes for over a period of six months in a bid to fight against food insecurity and low prices affecting farmers.

Egyptian snack manufacturer, Future Foods, has launched a new pretzel range after collaborating with tna, a leading solutions provider in the food processing and packaging industry, to successfully install a seasoning, processing and packaging line.

Rwanda needs about 35,000 tons of quality potato seeds to cover 25 percent of total cultivated land in each growing season. The targeted quantity to fill the existing gap is 60 percent despite persisting challenges.

In Egypt, the ministers of investment and trade last month opened the new production line of the Dutch Farm Frites company in the 10th of Ramadan City in Sharqia governorate.

Ishida, a Japanese multinational manufacturer of food packing machinery, has opened a regional office in Nairobi, Kenya, through its Birmingham-based subsidiary Ishida Europe.

During his presentation at the official opening of the 11th African Potato Congress in Kigali, Rwanda, World Potato Congress President Romain Cools announced the continuous effort of his organization to be a partner of the African potato sector.

Potato organizations on Monday called for deliberate efforts to increase potato and sweet potatoes production for sustainable nutritious food systems in Africa.

Researchers are developing lower-emissions rice varieties, feed additives and other technological innovations to create a more sustainable food system.

PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ: PEP) ("PepsiCo") today announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire all the outstanding shares of Pioneer Foods Group Ltd.

In an effort to combat diseases which have been hampering potato yields for the past two years in Dedza, International Potato Centre (CIP) recently handed over disease resistant Irish potato seeds to ten farmers in the district.