Exploring new RTC export market frontiers
As a central point of The Root and Tuber Crops Development Trust (RTCDT) Strategic Plan for the platform 2023-2028, the platform will drive agenda to explore a new export market frontier for RTCs starting with the export of Malawi’s potato, say board chair Jean Pankuku.
The RTCDT is engaging stakeholders and leading in conducting informative detailed investigative baseline quantitative and qualitative concrete data gathering on the real status of existing and potential local and international Potato value chain market.
During the B2B symposium in Blantyre in 2022, it emerged that there is growing informal/illegal/undocumented export of Malawi improved Irish potato through Somali and Mozambiquan buyers who move into villages with vans and buy on appointment fresh potatoes in cash and immediately export through uncharted routes into common export destination of Mozambique.
Unverified data suggests that close to 60% of the top-quality potato may be exported informally.
As a result, the country is losing forex through these informal/illegal exports aside also losing forex through the importation of the potatoes mainly from South Africa by the main super market’s shops like Shoprite, Chipiku, Foodlovers and Fast foods restaurants like KFC.
Swift exit points appear through Balaka, Nsanje and Dedza. A development that was touted to affect potato value chains and best produce sustainably reaching local off takers, eventually leading to increasing imports of potatoes.
The Trust attempting understand dynamics and document for action existing potato export market information gaps, reflecting on lessons learnt and explore concrete actions in the short, medium and long terms and develop evidence based actionable approaches to develop and commercialise the potato export market under the different stakeholders and projects interested in the potato value chain in Malawi.
For instance, the Trust is to in part find out the quantify of the export market, how much potato and potato products are being imported into the country, identify the final destination of the potatoes being exported, analyze the different market channels, which varieties are preferred by the different market segment for the different products.
“We want to harness and formalise this export market and serve it and our players better as a value chain driver. Our activities in this are to be designed by RTCDT with the engagement of key stakeholders, leveraged technical support and will involve key partners like Ministries of Trade and Agriculture as well as partners like the International Potato Centre (CIP),” she said adding that this endeavour will be a key deliverable for the part of the Trust as part of RTC Commercialisation through expanding market frontiers locally and internationally.