It's now official: Nairobi will host the 13th edition of the World Potato Congress (WPC) in 2026, with more than 1,000 delegates expected to attend the first-ever congress in Africa.
The event will also provide a significant boost to the recovering local tourism economy, which was hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The congress will provide a rare opportunity for potato stakeholders in Kenya to interact with global representatives and enhance their production, marketing and value addition strategies.
This is the first time that this globally important biennial trade event has been held in sub-Saharan Africa.
Peter VanderZaag, President of the World Potato Congress, said in a statement issued from Canada: "I am delighted that Kenya will host the 13th World Potato Congress in 2026. Kenya is centrally located and a leader in potato research and development in East Africa. I am confident that this Congress will raise the profile and capacity of the potato value chain in this region, and provide an opportunity for networking, investment and trade relations across the potato sector".
The proposed theme for the event is "Developing Global Potato Partnerships for Improved Food Systems, Food Security and International Trade".
The WPC is expected to attract potato industry stakeholders and partners from around the world, including the world's leading potato producers.
The latest global potato statistics from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) show that a total of 376 million tonnes of potatoes will be produced worldwide in 2021, with China (94 million tonnes) and India (54 million tonnes) emerging as the top producers.
Other top producers, in order, are Ukraine (21.3 million tonnes), the United States (18.5 million tonnes), Russia (18.2 million tonnes), Germany (11.3 million tonnes), Bangladesh (9.8 million tonnes), France (8.9 million tonnes), Poland (7 million tonnes), Egypt (6.9 million tonnes) and the Netherlands (6.6 million tonnes).
According to the FAO, the total area harvested worldwide in 2021 will be 18.1 million hectares, corresponding to a world average of about 21 tonnes per hectare.
The Nairobi Congress will also bring together a diverse group of experts, including leading agronomists, farmers, international advisors and scientists from the International Potato Centre in Lima, Peru, who will pool global knowledge, resources and expertise in areas such as seed production, pest and disease management, potato value chains and marketing.
Kenya's successful bid follows intensive lobbying by the National Potato Council of Kenya and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development.
The bid was also supported by public and private sector partners, including the Lima-based International Potato Centre (CIP), the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA), the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO), KenInvest, the Pest Control Product Board, Kevian Kenya Ltd and Agriculture Sector Network (ASNET), Bayer East Africa and the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture.
Potato is recognised as the world's third most important food crop, with the potential to feed millions of communities and provide much-needed income to farmers in all countries.
In Kenya, potatoes are the second most important food crop after maize and play an important role in food security, poverty alleviation and economic development.
An estimated 800,000 smallholder farmers produce over 2 million tonnes of potatoes annually, grown on about 123,000 hectares of land.
The Congress comes at a time when the majority of Africa's 1.4 billion people face a major food security challenge as the continent's population continues to grow rapidly.
According to the World Economic Forum's World Hunger Index, about 20 percent of people in Africa, or about 280 million people, are chronically hungry, compared to only 10 percent globally.
The potato crop has significant scope for improved yields, better utilisation and increased incomes along the entire value chain to address the continent's runaway food insecurity.
"Holding the Congress in Kenya will contribute to ending extreme poverty in all its forms in Africa. In addition to contributing to ending hunger, achieving food security and improving nutrition, the Congress will provide valuable educational opportunities to promote sustainable agriculture," said a statement from the World Potato Congress.
"The Congress will provide an opportunity for inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all, especially youth and women in the sector," the statement added.
The first World Potato Congress (WPC) was held in 1993 in the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island.
