Beat
Potato varieties, yields, growing conditions, contracts, and the raw-material supply that feeds the processors.
Nigeria's Jos Plateau is sub-Saharan Africa's largest potato-growing area, yet informal virus-prone seed, ~3.8 t/ha yields (against ~20 achievable) and no storage stall the value chain at its first link — so the country imports most of the frozen fries it eats.
6 min read
After years of shortage, north-western Europe's processing-potato zone is in clear surplus: record plantings and a record 2025 crop met softening demand, and growers' bodies have signalled lower planted area for the 2026/27 campaign.
5 min read
Why Russet Burbank still rules the fry world, what makes a potato good for frozen fries (dry matter, low sugars, shape), and the newer processing varieties — Innovator, Shepody, Ranger, Maris Piper — gaining ground.
3 min read
East Africa's potato production and exports are surging, yet seed sovereignty, thin processing capacity and a value chain controlled from the North still cap the region's gains — the backdrop to the first Sub-Saharan World Potato Congress at Naivasha in 2026.
9 min read
