German firm BASF has pledged to open a total of seven potato pack houses in Kenya, in the country of Nyandarua, one of the country’s top potato producing areas, a recent report from All Africa has revealed.

Representatives of BASF – a leading international chemical company – held talks with Nyandarua Governor Francis Kimemia during which they committed to provide funding for the project which is estimated to cost over SH500m (USD4.99m).

The company is poised to sign a memorandum of understanding with Kenya in April.  Construction of the facilities is said to begin later this year in October. The major goal of the project is to allow Nyandarua farmers to store their produce under hygienic and optimum storage conditions through the use of BASF’s Performance Material Solutions.

Nyandarua’s lack of pack houses has until now caused potato producers in the country to lose millions of shillings due to yields going to waste. On top of the partnership with BASF, the Kenyan Government is also seeking to aid farmers by building a potato processing in Kinangop. The report notes the project is due to commence in April of this year.