The World Potato Congress Inc. Board of Directors recently announced Potatoes South Africa as WPC’s first Sustaining Partner from Africa. President & CEO Romain Cools said: “With Potatoes South Africa joining the WPC Sustaining Partner family, it further illustrates that the World Potato Congress is a global networking organization.”

Potatoes South Africa (PSA) is a non-profit company whose main objectives are to serve as the communicator of the South African potato producers; Its attributes include establishing and maintaining a central representative body, called the Potato Industry Forum, with regards to all potato affairs in which all the role players in the potato industry can participate and in doing so, set industry strategies; to institute and endorse the maintenance of a national Potato Industry Development Trust which shall collect, distribute and govern industry levies in accordance to statutory strategies as set out in the government notices; to structure any business activity or service in such a manner that financial interests and results are transparent and are made available to all interested parties independent of PSA and to strive for the systematic development and environment friendly outlook of the potato industry, including the preservation of the soil and water resources, the maintenance and improvement of the fertility of the land and improvement of production and marketing methods.

In terms of its role in the potato industry, PSA operates as an industry association and its structure represents a network of participating role players and individuals who are involved in various forums and committees. The vision of PSA is to build a viable potato industry in South Africa.