Thanks to sucessfull field trials, 3 british potato varieties have been approved for release in Kenya. According to Rob Burns, AHDB Head of Crop Market Trade Development, “Kenya has a burgeoning middle class; and as well as table varieties there is a growing need for processing potato seed to supply the growing market for premium potato-based products such as crisps and chips.”
In terms of performance, the Lady Balfour variety had an average of 56 tonnes per hectare, the Cara variety 52 tonnes per hectare and the Gemson variety yielded 42 tonnes per hectares on average.
In Kenya potatoes are the second most important food crop after maize.