Trials open door for exports of Scottish seed potatoes to Kenya

Following successful field trials, three potato varieties have been recommended for release in Kenya, opening up a potentially valuable seed potato export market in the African Continent.

The approval opens the door for export to a country where potatoes are the second most important food crop, after maize. About 2-3 million tonnes of potatoes are grown annually – however most farmers use home-saved seed and achieve yields of as little as 10 tonnes per hectare.

In the trials with GB varieties, long established favourite Cara yielded very strongly over both seasons with a combined average yield of 52 tonnes per hectare. However, the top performer in terms of yield was a more recently bred variety, Lady Balfour, at 56 tonnes per hectare, while another newcomer, Gemson, yielded 42 tonnes per hectare on average.

Rob Burns, AHDB head of crop market trade development, described the performance of the varieties and their acceptance by the Kenyans as “great news for GB seed producers”.

“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,” he said.

Jonathan Snape, head of James Hutton Ltd, said he was delighted that two of the varieties bred at the institute for potato merchants, Greenvale AP and Grampian Growers had performed so well.

“We will be engaging with representatives of the Kenyan potato industry in order to open up this potentially important new export market,” he said.