Dutch seed improves Kenyan potato chain TRADE AND MARKETING This is how healthy the Dutch potato can look in Kenya schedule and has paved the way for the Dutch sector. The recent mission has put the focus on the potential in Kenya and has arranged for the first talks. ‘I’ve never seen such an instant success,’ was the remark of one member of the mission. Does this mean the fast development that is sometimes predicted? Will Dutch suppliers soon invest in Kenyan farms and will there be joint ventures with the processing industry? Will there by branches of mechanisation suppliers? Offices for consultancy agencies, researchers and organisers in logistics? Agri-business in a lightening-fast development? Not a shot at an open goal Everything is open. The farmers would like the Dutch seed to come, but it must be afFordable. And for now, export and multiplication in Kenyan soil still needs to develop widely. Who has the right formula to get the local farmers, many in number but weak in cultivation techniques, successfully going in the project. Setting up storage and distribution depots or even small-scale seed potato shops with the help of NGOs? Will the average yield increase from the current 8 to 35 tons per hectare? How do you arrange storage and distribution in a country where, often in advance, harvests are sold at the first offer to the powerful, local traders. In essence, our sector has everything necessary to organise such a potato chain, but the financing remains a bottleneck; at the same time, all-out efforts are required from more than one link in the chain. In short, there are big opportunities for the potato in Kenya, but it’s definitely not a shot at an open goal. The members of the mission may sometimes have looked a bit doubtful, but nobody dropped out. On the contrary. There are solutions afoot, plans are being made and the first projects are starting soon. In Kenya - a potato country in development. ● Frits Emmerik Communication: Potato Platform Kenya Members of the mission: Agrico (www.agrico.nl) Alterra WUR (www.wur.nl) Celtic Cooling (www.celtic.nl) Danespo-Holland (www.danespo.com) Europlant Aardappel BV (www.europlant.biz) Geerlofs Refrigeration (www.geerlofs.com) Grimme Nederland BV (www.grimme.com) HLB (www.hlbbv.nl) HZPC Holland BV (www.hzpc.com) Koppert Biological Systems (www.koppert.com) KWS Potato BV (www.kws.com) C. Meijer BV (www.meijer-potato.com) Oldenhuis & Prinsen (www.oldenhuis-prinsen.com) Omnivent (www.omnivent.nl) Nivap (www.nivap.nl / www.potato.nl) CDI/WUR (www.wageningenur.nl/cdi) More information: www.potatoplatformkenya.com Potato World 2014 • number 3 19 Pagina 18
Pagina 20Interactieve digitale rapport, deze editie of magazine is levensecht online geplaatst met Online Touch en bied het online publiceren van e-maandbladen.
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