We continue to publish exclusive materials from the WPC (World Potato Congress), telling about the organization of an efficient seed potato production chain in Africa.
The World Potato Congress will take place from May 31 to June 3 in Dublin, Ireland. The event will bring together professionals including potato growers, wholesalers, packers, importers and exporters of both seed and ware potatoes.
This week we will talk about the creation of added value of potatoes (packaging, processing) in African countries.
Potato production in Africa is growing rapidly, as in other developing countries. Most of the potatoes produced are consumed fresh, while more processed potatoes are consumed worldwide than fresh ones.
However, even in Africa, the consumption of processed potatoes is growing steadily with the increasing demand for processed potatoes in urban areas. They have seen a marked change in eating habits, and seeing people eating french fries on the streets is no longer uncommon. This requires breeders to create potato varieties with good technological characteristics and produce high quality raw materials.
African countries should get their share of processed potatoes. However, at present the biggest obstacle for the processing industry is the unavailability of good quality raw materials on a sustainable basis and their high cost. Increasing productivity will lead to lower raw material costs, so efforts should be directed in this direction.
In many SSA countries, potatoes are sold with soil on the tubers, so even washing and properly packaging untreated potatoes brings in more money than unwashed potatoes that are not packaged properly.
There are large supermarkets in large cities in Africa, so correctly labeled and beautifully packaged potatoes, indicating the place of their production, form a good added value that increases profits.
Improvements in packaging material design have greatly increased the sales of various agricultural products in Uganda and Kenya, while maintaining the same product quality.
Therefore, the concept of value added should be properly understood and not only associated with large investments. It can be as simple as washing products and improving their packaging, or complex, like recycling, which requires a lot of investment.
Kisima Farm sells only certified seed potatoes. In addition, seed potatoes are stored in a refrigerator and are professionally (mechanically) packed in special bags containing all the necessary information about the product and its quality.