WPC 2026 Hosts
National Potato Council of Kenya (NPCK) is a multi-stakeholder, non-governmental and public-private partnership organization aiming towards transforming the industry into a more competitive, self-regulating, and sustainable industry. The council draws its membership from different actors including farmers, researchers, seed producers, processors, traders, input suppliers, financial and insurance providers, regulatory agencies, government institutions, and development partners.
Currently, NPCK has 87 registered members and clusters of stakeholders who play a critical role in the different nodes of the value chain from soil testing, seed production, ware potato production to value addition, regulations and policy. The council represents the interest of the members operating in the sector locally and globally.
NPCK addresses potato challenges by offering platforms for stakeholder engagement, lobbying for supportive policies, and enhancing access to inputs and markets alongside capacity enhancing the farmers. Potato is Kenya’s second most important food crop after maize, a key source of income for over 1,000,000 farming households and earns the country over Ksh. 70 Billion annually.
Among its flagship initiatives is the Viazi Soko digital platform, which connects farmers with certified inputs and reliable markets, and supports knowledge sharing and service delivery through a network of youthful farmers called Farm Service Providers. Currently over 32 seed producers and over 30 processors are currently engaging in the potato value chain tapping into the local and international markets.
NPCK plays a pivotal role in advocating for sector-wide improvements and enabling environment where the potato industry can thrive and contribute meaningfully to Kenya’s food systems and rural livelihoods. The council also advocates for international platforms that enhances partnerships and open regional and international business opportunities for the actors.
Visit www.npck.org to learn more.
In 2023, FreshCrop was awarded the Presidential National Farmers Award for a fully commercialized large-scale farm in Kenya. FreshCrop is a producer of certified potato seed and ware potatoes in Kenya, producing over 4,000 tons of certified seed & 4,000 tons of ware annually, with a network of 15,000+ SHFs spread across 9 potato growing zones. FreshCrop also hosts 8,000 farmers in their annual farmer field day which displays the latest technologies in the potato industry, linkages to 50+ industry stakeholders, and training on best potato production practices through demo sites that compare available products in Kenya planted with Fresh Crop certified potato seeds (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwS0p07LibQ).
The Company achieves its objectives by operating hubsites for seed production in various potato production zones to provide nearby farmers access to certified seed as well as technical support from the local hub site. FreshCrop has made great strides to provide a one stop shop for farmers with access to high quality inputs along with technical support for production, mechanization, linkage to financing, and market access which has resulted in increased production and profits for farmers. FreshCrop has a training model for farmers delivered through a network of 150 Train the Trainers (Ambassadors) that train their farmers on Climate Smart Agriculture – potato production through hands on farmer field schools and aggregate services.
The biggest pain point for farmers in Kenya has been access to quality seed and reliable markets. FreshCrop has recently completed the final piece of the value chain with the launch of their chips processing factory that allows stable market access and value addition for their farmers. FreshCrop is uniquely situated with its ability to backstop supply of potatoes to the factory through their own farming ventures and tapping into their network of 15,000+ farmers. FreshCrop ensures a consistent supply of potatoes along with controlling the quality and costs at the farm level. Furthermore, FreshCrop has been heavily involved in trials and testing suitable varieties for processing and have started production of the breeder material of suitable varieties that can work in the equatorial zone.
Visit www.freshcrop.co.ke to learn more.