Kenia: Expansion in Kenya has enabled small-scale potato farmers to improve their crop yield

It is committed to variety innovation, excellence in seed potato production and fair commercialisation worldwide.IPM was awarded a €250,000 grant from the AADP towards the development of cold storage infrastructure essential for the storage of seed potatoes. Storage is a key element in the development of local seed potato production in Kenya.

The AADP grant was a catalyst enabling IPM to grow its operations and market potential in Kenya which in turn has had a huge impact on the lives of farmers, who normally don’t have access to clean, certified seed potatoes. This expansion in Kenya has provided small-scale farmers with access to clean seed which has an instant impact of improving crop yield and ultimately increases farmers’ sustainability, profitability and income. 7 full time staff are employed in its Kenyan operations with an additional 24 seasonal staff.

Sean Owens, Business Development Manager from IPM Potato Group: “There is a huge opportunity for growth and development in Kenya and the wider East Africa region. With an increasing population and focus on food security, we always thought there was an opportunity to develop a sustainable business on the ground in Kenya. We had been developing a proposal with a local partner to establish a joint venture producing seed potatoes locally instead of importing seed from Europe.""The AADP grant was a catalyst fund that gave us the confidence to take the next step and invest in Kenya. I’d highly recommend other Irish agri-companies explore the business opportunities in Africa, but you have to be willing to do your research first, be patient and ultimately take the risk. From there, I’d advise you to reach out to the AADP which is an incredible support and connector for agri-business.”