Dutch seed improves Kenyan potato chain TRADE AND MARKETING The delegation visiting Susan and Erastus Mureithi at their Suera Farm. responsible financing for both multipliers and buyers has been a stumbling block in the development of the cultivation of potatoes. Small-scale NGO-guided projects and demonstration fields are currently used to increase awareness in the importance of healthy seed. Those who have experienced the advantages of bigger yields, more turnover or even a contract with a buyer, are won over. Although communication is digitalising very fast also in Kenya, in the rural areas, messages of successful and lucrative yields are spread from mouth to mouth. The rumour that new seed will become available goes round very quickly and the increasing demand motivates farmers to become available for multiplying certified Dutch seed. One of them is the couple Susan and Erastus Mureithi of Suera Farm. ‘There is an enormous market. In our region alone, there are 25,000 farmers who can be approached. That’s a promising market for seed,’ The farm collaborates in official variety trials, the National Performance Trials (NPT), with which the Kenyan inspection service Kephis tests new varieties for their suitability for local conditions. That’s also what Rob Holtrop of Africalla does. ‘You have to meet a number of requirements and the inspectors are very strict,’ says Holtrop. ‘We as Africalla don’t have immediate plans yet with potatoes, but we are interested in playing a role in this project. By housing those NPTs, we’re right in the middle of the project.’ With the collaboration of public partners (Economic Affairs, the Netherlands Food & Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA), Wageningen University (WUR), Centre for Development Innovation (CDI)) and private partners (exporters, the General Inspection Service for Agricultural Seed and Seed Potatoes (NAK), the Dutch Potato Organisation (NAO), and the Netherlands Potato Consultative Foundation (NIVAA), the Kenyan-Dutch project provides capacity building of, among others, Kephis and the training of staff. In short, a great deal of preliminary work has been done. The first Dutch varieties have now entered the official National Varieties List and the market needs a lot of healthy seed. The project supports the progression with an informative website and a Facebook page. The farmers are informed about the coming Demonstration Days and contact will be made with all the links in the chain. The Kenyan-Dutch collaboration should now become operative and start doing business. An opportunity not to be missed? No VAT and levy on imports What does that mean for the sector in the Netherlands? In Kenya? The tempo in which the project is developing can be illustrated when we view the explanation of Dr James Onsando, director of Kephis, alongside the current state of affairs. He uses the Dutch approach as an example for other The Kenyan farmers like the Dutch seed to come, but it must be afFordable. Potato World 2014 • number 3 17 Pagina 16
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