TRADE AND MARKETING Dutch seed improves Kenyan potato chain countries. Today, not even two years after the first discussions, the export of seed to Kenya has been made possible, the import requirements are known, the first containers are ready for transport or have been booked, and farmers in Kenya are getting to know new varieties. An important incidental circumstance: there is no VAT or levy on imported seed. The latter advantage needs to be applied for, but practice shows that the policy around the collaboration of potatoes has already penetrated the administrative handling process; the exemption is granted without any problem. All this means free and easy access for the seed potato varieties admitted to the Kenyan Varieties List, and for farmers the possibility to acquire certified clean seed. Rob Holtrop in front of the National Performance Trials at the Africalla Farm. The delegation visiting a field demonstration, where Kenyan farmer are introduced to certified Dutch seed. There is sufficient suitable land for potatoes. Seed potato course a must Multiplication makes seed afFordable to the Kenyan farmers. However, it’s a business most local farmers don’t know much about. Their knowledge about the care of crops, and the recognition of pests and diseases is not enough to achieve the desired result: clean seed at a reasonable price. So what they urgently need are instructors, advisors and trainers who are familiar with Dutch potatoes in foreign soil. In the domain of plant protection, the Dutch sector has sufficient specialists and practical knowledge to help Kenya along. The first research & consultancy agency went along with the mission to explore the potato sector of Kenya. Although enterprising agriculture helps increase employment, Kenya is also preparing for mechanisation. The small farmers will organise themselves into cooperatives, or merge with medium-sized farm businesses and in that category, it will become lucrative to start investing in mechanising the cropping process. With bigger harvests, storage will start to play a role. The recent mission included four participating entrepreneurs in the agricultural machinery, storage and climate technology categories, who appeared to have had a visionary way of thinking. They were there, inspected the sector, explored the possibilities and had their first discussions wit potential partners. Where is the demand? Has our sector the right answers to that? And how do you go about it successfully? All in all, many parties with growth potential and enough inquisitiveness to discover new markets can take the route to Kenya. Flowers and vegetables paved the way for potatoes. The second crop of Kenya can go in the same direction, except for a small detail. Flowers and vegetables are destined for export to other parts of the world outside Africa. The potato, however, will in the first instance feed the Kenyan population themselves, and the entrepreneurship of the sector will strengthen the inland economy. A long time ago, when still an English colony, Kenya exported potatoes to India, the Middle East and Europe, but that trade has been long lost. Most of the potato production is sold locally as table potatoes. Only a few percent is processed into crisps and other produce such as cooled-fresh French fries. The processing industry in particular will benefit from the bigger yields, better varieties and quality as a result of the use of certified seed. So far the project is on 18 Potato World 2014 • number 3 Pagina 17
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