Potato News from Africa

The government of Rwanda has signed a multimillion dollar deal with a Nigerian investor, the Blackpace Africa Group, to revamp and develop Rwanda’s potato industry and help make the country a key producer and exporter of potato products.

Experts in potato breeding and research have identified Eastern Province of Rwanda as a potential alternative for clean potato seed production.

Potato Research in Eritrea has come up with a suitable disease resistant variety. The farmers selected to test the new variety, called for distribution to all farmers.

BlackPace Africa, an Africa-focused investment management and advisory firm, and the Plateau State government have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) towards a joint development arrangement to upscale potato production in the state and set up a potato processing facility in Jos, the state capital.

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.

In 2016, Africa as a whole maintained its position as the world’s second-fastest growing economies behind South Asia, according to data released during the Financial Presentation at the African Development Bank Group’s Annual Meetings

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.

A sorting and grading line for potatoes and onions in Algeria is one of the latest orders for R.G. Impianti, an Italian company which has been developing vegetable processing systems for over 30 years.

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.