Potato farmers in Kenya could soon start supplying potatoes to Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), following an agreement with the government that will see a processing plant set up.
In a meeting between KFC CEO for East Africa Jacques Theunissen and Trade PS Johnson Weru, it was agreed that the two sides will develop a roadmap within a fortnight that will guide in setting up a manufacturing plant that can supply the restaurant with frozen processed chips.
“The government is fully committed to creating a conducive business environment by assisting and protecting foreign investors while at the same time looking out for Kenyan interests, in this case, job creation, the market for local produce, and value addition of agricultural products,” said Weru.
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The government is looking at the option of upgrading the cold-storage units in Meru, Kisii, and Nyandarua to be able to supply the chips to KFC and other food processors such as Chicken-in.
According to Theunissen, 80 percent of KFC’s supplies in Kenya come from local suppliers including chicken, vegetables, and buns.
Theunissen was forced to visit the country after an uproar by Kenyans after KFC announced a shortage of fries at its outlets in December. The venture announced that they ran out of potatoes, which they import as frozen cut fries from countries including South Africa and Egypt.
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Theunissen said that the reason why it could not source local potatoes was because Kenya lacks potato suppliers who can provide the semi-cooked frozen chips it uses.
“Ongoing potato shortage had nothing to do with the alleged poor quality of locally grown potatoes and everything to do with lack of suppliers of the semi-cooked frozen chips they use. KFC sources over 80 percent of their other supplies from local suppliers who easily conform to global standards,” he said.
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