Kinshasa, April 14th, 2025 (CPA) – The town of Mbanza-Ngungu, in the province of Kongo Central, in the south-west of the Democratic Republic of Congo, has been programmed as a national potato production epicenter, the CPA learned on Friday from an official source. ‘I am going to make Mbanza-Ngungu a national epicenter for potato production’, declared Mohindo Nzangi, Minister of State for Rural Development, at the launch of the experimental phase of an ambitious agricultural project supported by the “Timpani” cooperative. The project, which focuses on potato cultivation, is the fruit of a partnership between local cooperatives and the Italian firm Amica Tips, with which a memorandum of understanding was signed in Italy a few months ago. The first samples of Rosetta, Spunta and Alicia seeds have been sent out as part of this pilot project. The aim of the project is to turn Mbanza-Ngungu into a veritable national epicenter for potato production, capable of supplying the local market, especially Kinshasa, while also opening up for export to the European Union. ‘It’s important that the members of the cooperative feel that the government is involved alongside them. If this experiment is successful, it will pave the way for a sustainable system for supplying high-quality seeds’, said Minister of State Muhindo. The project is also benefiting from the active involvement of territorial inspectors of agriculture and rural development, as well as the participation of students, who have been mobilised to provide technical support for the first trials.
Reaction from the Timpani cooperative
Taking the floor, a representative of the cooperative enthusiastically welcomed the initiative, saying: ‘First and foremost, we would like to express our sincerest thanks to the Minister of State in charge of Rural Development. This initiative is a godsend for us. We haven’t grown potatoes here in Mbanza-Ngungu since the Covid-19 pandemic in 2019,’ she said. She pointed out that potatoes are an essential crop, generating a good income for members and providing a livelihood for many families. A lack of seed and technical support had prevented this activity from being re-launched. ‘Today, thanks to this revival supported by the Ministry of Rural Development, we have renewed hope. We’re expecting this first experimental phase to result in quality production that can not only supply the local market, but also open up prospects for export. If the results are conclusive, it will mark a new beginning for the cooperative, the community of Mbanza-Ngungu, and local agriculture as a whole’, she maintained. Through this initiative, the Ministry in charge of Rural Development aims to strengthen food sovereignty, promote sustainable agricultural value chains and reposition rural areas at the heart of the country’s economic development.ACP/