News on The Potato Supply Chain from Africa

Kenya’s potato production could hit 2.5 million tonnes in 2021 up from the estimated 2 million tonnes produced in 2020, the industry said on Friday.

Kenya has applied for a Sh656 million grant from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to boost research on potato seed production and cut reliance on imports.

Managing plant health and strict water monitoring have paved the way to success for AL 3 Boerdery in Dendron, Limpopo.

McCain Foods South Africa has appointed Unathi Mhlatyana as its new managing director (MD) effective yesterday. Mhlatyana brings more than 20 years experience in the FMCG industry, having previously been employed in leadership roles with Pepsico and SAB/AB InBev.

Willie Jacobs took over the leadership of Potatoes Potatoes South Africa (PSA) as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) after Dr. André Jooste, who as part of his career planning, left the organization after 9 years.

Among the 152 isolates collected from symptomatic potato plants and tubers in different provinces in Algeria, 13 species of Fusarium and Neocosmospora were identified.

The Nakuru County Government has announced that implementation of the potato regulations including the 50kg packaging rule is in force and must be adhered to immediately.

Imagine being a potato farmer in Ethiopia, Kenya, or Nigeria. On a small piece of land, which you depend on for food and income, you have spent months planting, weeding, and watering.

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

A Rwandan entrepreneur is pioneering the use of innovative farming technology that, he believes, is set to play a major role in feeding the growing population in his country, amid increasing pressure on arable land.

Dr. André Jooste, an agricultural economist who joined Potatoes South Africa eight years ago as chief executive officer, is leaving the organization at the end of the month for personal reasons.

Since mid-June, potato prices have been on average 46% higher than in the same period last year. In four months, the average market price of a 10kg
bag has rocketed from below R35 to R83.

The World Potato Congress is pleased to be beginning its Fall webinar series on November 12, 2020, with Professor Jacquie van der Waals from the University of Pretoria, South Africa.

The Wageningen Research Foundation (WR), being subsidised by the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality in the context of the Policy Support 'Sustainable agricultural development in a food system approach' published a study on the potato value chain in Morocco.

A first pilot using True Potato Seed (TPS) in Angonia District, Tete province in Mozambique, conducted by Solidaridad and Solynta shows great potential to drastically improve and innovate potato production in Mozambique.

The government of Zimbabwe, in conjunction with Kutsaga Research Station has embarked on a seed potato multiplication programme from mini-tuber to commercial seed potato.

The partnership targets to introduce new technologies and train smallholder farmers on how to improve potato yields through the use of quality seeds, resilient varieties, disease management and post-harvest management.

Demand for potatoes in eastern Africa has been growing steadily. This growth is driven in part by rising demand from the fast food industry and for processing into high value products such as crisps, chips and starch. Despite an increase of 60% in the area of cultivated land, production has been declining in Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda.