Barfoots of Botley

Barfoots of Botley Ltd, a major supplier of vegetables to the UK market, is implementing a project focusing on developing a new and innovative blueprint for sweet potato production in Diama, Northern Senegal.

Currently supply of sweet potatoes to the UK is dominated by product from the USA. This product is mostly procured from North Carolina, where harvesting is from August to October, prior to long term storage before shipment to the UK. Senegal has a significant advantage as it can fill the gap in the harvesting period, providing a much fresher higher quality alternative product, with no need for long term storage.  In addition to this, shipping time to the UK will be reduced from 16 to 8 days.  This project intends to build on these advantages by utilising technology and production techniques hitherto not exploited in this region.  The project will introduce techniques that will give more security to sweet potato production through improved yields and quality. These processes may ultimately be employed in surrounding regions and other West African countries.

Senegal has a history of sweet potato production, but current varieties are not suited to the UK market, being mostly white fleshed, misshapen and poor yielding.  The project will comprise of the introduction of a novel rapid propagation system to create disease free planting stock, a laboratory to screen planting material for disease presence and the development of a precise crop management blueprint to ensure production of export quality product.

The project will be located at the farm operated by SCL (Societe de Cultures Legumieres), a joint farming venture established in 2006 between Barfoots of Botley and Michael Laurent,  an established farmer in Senegal.