Potato is widely grown in East Africa by small-scale farmers in the highlands at elevations ranging from 1,300 to 3,000 meters above sea level. The production of the crop in the region has more than doubled in the last 20 years. The major constraint, that limits productivity and profitability in the potato value chain, is the lack of high-quality potato seeds. Other limiting factors are a lack of well-adapted high-yielding varieties, high incidences of diseases, inadequate crop management, poor soil fertility, inadequate ware potato storage facilities, and poorly organized commercialization.
The potato value chain in Tanzania is not well developed, but growing fast. The potato crop is cultivated by small-scale farmers in approximately 200,000 ha, involving 700,000 households. Potato is cultivated in four major areas:
The Kagera region in north-western Tanzania, the Arusha region, near Mount Kilimanjaro, the Usambara mountains in the north and north-eastern Tanzania, and the Southern Highlands of Tanzania. Mbeya district is one of the main potato producers in the southern highlands of Tanzania and accounts for more than 85% of the total production in Tanzania.
Fraxen Consult Ltd, a sister company to Amshaamsha Foundation has been instrumental in supporting the Tanzanian government to ensure the availability of improved seed potatoes to small and medium farmers. Improved seed potatoes will enhance the quality and productivity of potato crops, which will revolutionize the whole potato value chain, and attract processing, which is not practiced at the moment.
In October 2023, Fraxen Consult Ltd was privileged to sign a Seed Potato Distribution Agreement with Agrico BV, a Netherlands-based Seed Manufacturing Company, and Agrico-PSA a Kenyan-based seed potato multiplier. In the same month, Fraxen Consult Ltd conducted an exposure visit to Agrico PSA, a potato farm in Nakuru Kenya, where they conduct seed potato multiplication and ware potato farming.
Located in Nakuru County, the Agrico PSA potato farm produces and supplies large quantities of top-quality certified seed potatoes all year round. Each year they transform 400 tonnes of imported basic seed into 6,300 tonnes of Kenyan certified seed potatoes resulting in over 90,000 tonnes of Kenyan ware potatoes, distributed in Kenya and the East Africa region.
Takeaways from Nakuru
The exposure visit to Agrico PSA farms in Nakuru was such an eye-opener to what it means to develop the potato value chain, from the farm to the farmers, and the plate. Important lessons were learned, including (i) Farm Management, in terms of safety, farm preparation, mechanization, plant health, and phytosanitary (ii) Best practice in seed potato planting and harvesting (iii) Potato storage and handling (iv) Organizing demonstration plots, training to farmers, (v) Seed and ware potato transportation, border and other authority documentation and many more.
Fraxen Consult Ltd is determined to become the most committed, trusted, and expert in seed and ware potato distribution in Tanzania and seed potatoes multipliers shortly.