What we learned from the potato value chain

Over six months, Kuza tested a practical question in the potato value chain: if we start with real demand, will the market execute?

We engaged seven processors and off-takers across fresh chips, frozen chips and crisps, working through their specific requirements: preferred varieties, quality and grading standards, indicative volumes, delivery models and payment terms. Through Kuza's network of around 3,000 agripreneurs across 40 counties, we then mapped roughly 1,300 tonnes of harvest-ready potatoes by variety and geography.

On paper the market was ready. In practice, less than 5% transacted. Buyer confirmations dragged, Shangi prices rose about 20% in two weeks, and farmers shifted toward faster cash markets.

A financing gap also became visible: farmers needed payment at the farm gate while agripreneurs waited two weeks to three months to recover from off-takers.

This was not a farmer problem or a buyer problem. It was a coordination problem of time, price and cash, which is where most value chains quietly break.