Food Sovereignty: Uralchem Consolidates Its Foothold in East Africa at the World Potato Congress in Kenya

Gathered in Naivasha for the 13th World Potato Congress, global agribusiness leaders are turning their focus to Kenya. Fertiliser producer Uralchem is rolling out a targeted agronomic support strategy, underscoring the acceleration of trade flows between global input manufacturers and African agricultural hubs. This initiative directly addresses the continent’s pressing need for yield optimisation and economic resilience.

The Context

For the first time in its history, the World Potato Congress (WPC 2026) is hosted in East Africa. Taking place from October 26 to 30 in Naivasha, Nakuru County, the event convenes over 1,000 delegates from more than 60 nations, bringing together local farmers, agronomists, researchers, and policymakers.

Kenya’s selection as host reflects its strategic weight. As one of sub-Saharan Africa’s top potato producers, the crop serves as a vital socio-economic engine, sustaining 3.5 million jobs directly and indirectly while contributing over USD 400 million annually to the national economy.

The Strategic Issue

Against the backdrop of soil health preservation and productivity challenges, Uralchem Group—incorporating Uralchem JSC, Uralkali PJSC, and TOAZ JSC, with a combined output capacity of approximately 25 million tonnes—is leveraging the summit to showcase its portfolio of mineral and water-soluble fertilisers.

Beyond commercial displays of specialized crop nutrition formulas (including potassium chloride, urea, calcium ammonium nitrate, and the SOLAR water-soluble range), the primary objective centers on agronomic knowledge transfer. Olga Poltavskaya, Marketing Director at Uralchem, reaffirmed the group’s intent to build long-term, mutually beneficial partnerships with Kenyan and African farmers through tailored agronomic support, underscored by practical demonstrations on trial plots during the closing Field Day.

IBA Perspectives

The strategic moves by major mineral fertiliser producers in East Africa align with broader imperatives to secure regional food value chains. By tailoring technical solutions to commercial growers and cooperatives in Nakuru, global suppliers consolidate market share while addressing an urgent regional priority: maximising yields per hectare. For Kenya and the wider East African Community, reliable access to advanced crop nutrition and agronomic field support represents a critical lever to formalise the tuber value chain and accelerate local agro-processing capacity.

The IBA Insight

Sub-Saharan Africa continues to register some of the lowest average fertiliser application rates globally, structurally limiting the productive potential of its arable land. The active engagement of a producer employing over 38,000 professionals with 25 million tonnes of capacity highlights a structural shift: the African continent is increasingly treated not as an opportunistic secondary market, but as a long-term strategic growth corridor. Moving forward, the sustainability of such partnerships will depend on setting up cost-effective local distribution networks, mitigating exposure to global commodity price volatility, and incentivising joint industrial investments directly on African soil.

Source: Official Press Release, Uralchem Group, Naivasha / Moscow, 27 October 2026.