Rwanda to set up two new potato processing plants and boost production

It is said to be a new dawn for Irish potato growers in Rwanda following the signing of a multi-million dollar deal between government and a Nigerian firm to develop the country’s Irish potato value chain. The five-year project worth $120 million (Rwf102 billion) involves the building of two potato processing facilities; one for frozen French fries, and another to produce potato products for the export market. The target is a production capacity of 10 million tonnes of potatoes by the fifth year of the project, officials said. When it starts operations, it will process 80,000 to 100,000 tonnes of potatoes making frozen French fries, and potato flakes and crisps, targeting export markets in Africa and the Middle East, according to Olusegun Paul Andrew, the chairman of BlackPace Africa Group. The potato project will further work to increase the average yield per hectare from 15 to 35 tonnes by the fifth year of operations, officials said. More