A year after introducing its hybrid true potato seed varieties in Kenya, Solynta reports trials producing yields 3-4 times higher than local variants. As this Dutch company explores additional markets, it acknowledges the gradual pace of agricultural innovation. According to Charles Miller, director of strategic alliances and development, "As all of us know that developing something totally new is time-consuming, particularly in agriculture."
For Solynta, the strategy involves progressive deployment of its non-GMO hybrid seeds over the past four years, following 18 years of industry presence. These hybrid seeds are being applied across more than 40 countries, with efforts in field trials, public-private collaborations, and preliminary commercial groundwork. "It's a phased approach designed to build trust, validate performance, and align with local regulatory processes," Miller explains.
Current Kenyan operations include collaborations with over 200 farmers, spanning pilot and large-scale commercial endeavors. While only Kenya has commercially released the product outside of the European home garden market, Solynta plans an EU entrance in 2026, contingent on regulatory consent. Miller notes, "Our current sales activities focus primarily on markets where there's a current high demand for our innovation."
The company's efforts aim to enhance global food security where traditional seed tubers may be scarce. "Potatoes are a tetraploid crop, meaning that genetically they are very complex," Miller states, noting the challenges in conventional potato breeding are similar to those seen in other crops, like maize or sunflower, previously transformed by hybrid breeding. However, there have been no big changes to popular varieties like Russet Burbank for 150 years.
In Kenyan trials, hybrid seeds yielding substantially higher outputs lack dependency on fungicides. The approach successfully merges multiple resistance genes, offering resilience against late blight without extensive chemical use. "We've seen yield increases averaging 10 tonnes to over 30 tonnes in some places," Miller confirms. This innovation potentially triples average yields while stabilizing starting material availability.
Looking forward, Solynta evaluates AI for optimizing hybrid seed results, reducing fieldwork expenses, and accelerating seed development. Miller highlights, "We were the first to map the diploid potato genome and release it to the public so we could all work on it together." Investment in these technologies may further industry advancement.
However, regulatory processes present a major impediment to innovation. Miller reflects, "Whenever you introduce a new technology...regulators scratch their heads to understand it." Solynta anticipates overcoming these regulatory hurdles by collaborating with global regulators to align on the safe integration of this novel development, akin to existing seed types.
Source: AgTech Navigator
