Homa Bay county offered chance to sell potatoes at Buckingham Palace
The European Union (EU) wants Homa Bay County government to market sweet potatoes produced in the county at Buckingham Palace.
EU ambassador to Kenya Henriette Geiger asked Governor Gladys Wanga to share the idea of taking sweet potatoes to King Charles III.
Homa Bay boasts of having some of the best agricultural produce in the country.
Some of the produce include maize, pineapples, sorghum and cotton.
The county also produces sweet potatoes in Rachuonyo East.
Some of the produce is exported.
There are reports that some of the potatoes produced in the county would be taken to England and eaten during breakfast by the Royal Family.
According to Governor Wanga, the late Queen Elizabeth would order that sweet potato she consumed be ordered from the county.
“We have the best sweet potato and the late queen of England would ask her staff to get the potatoes from Homa Bay,” she said.
It is not clear whether the potatoes are still being taken to Buckingham Palace after the queen died.
Ms Geiger however said Homa Bay has an opportunity to trade with England and more so the EU.
“You should perhaps talk to King Charles to see if you can take potatoes to Buckingham Palace,” she said when she visited Homa Bay on Monday.
The EU wants Homa Bay County to position itself as one of the major suppliers of consumables in western countries.
Ms Geiger said Europe is the largest consumer market globally.
She said different nations are competing to do business in Europe, but wants Kenya, and especially Homa Bay to take lead in business.
Kenya already signed an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the EU that will grant its exports duty-free status and unlimited access to the 27-member market bloc.
The deal enables the country’s exports to enter the EU duty-free and without quotas.
The EU is Kenya’s second-largest trading partner and its most important export market.
Ms Geiger said Homa Bay should also be counted as one of the main suppliers of goods to Europe.
“You have to comply with EU standards which include sanitary specifications. You must have competitive products,” she said.
According to the ambassador, the EU is supporting Kenya to develop different agricultural value chains to engage trade between the country and Europe.
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