Refinements to potato market segmentation

A consultative effort by the CGIAR Initiative on Market Intelligence, the International Potato Center (CIP), and national agricultural research and extension systems (NARES) identified an opportunity to refine the initial market segmentation for potato that focused on identifying seed product market segments (SPMSs) aligned with existing breeding pipelines, leaving out any market segments that CIP is not breeding for.

The consultative effort led to the following additions:

• Six new segments in Eastern Africa that recognize variations in the end use of processing varieties by medium-large scale companies and fast-food chains (either into french fries or crisps), skin color (red and cream), and production environment (mid lowlands in addition to highlands)
• Ten new segments in Southern Asia that recognize variations in the end use of processing varieties by medium-large scale companies and fast-food chains, skin color (red, cream, and yellow), and production environment (subtropical and tropical highlands, subtropical and tropical lowlands. and subtropical lowlands prone to drought, heat, and/or salinity)
• Two new segments in South-eastern Asia that recognize variations in the end use of processing varieties by medium and large scale companies and fast-food chains, and skin color (yellow and red)
• Eight new segments in Latin America that recognize variations in the end use of processing varieties by medium and large scale companies and fast-food chains, skin color (red and cream), and production environment (lowlands in addition to highlands).

Between January and November 2023, a multidisciplinary CIP team discussed farmers’ requirements for potatoes and the corresponding opportunities for refining the existing seed product market segmentation (see Market Intelligence Brief #1 for overview of segmentation criteria). These included both segments in CGIAR subregion regions that were already included in the initial segmentation (Eastern Africa, Southern Asia, South-eastern Asia, and Latin America) as well as segments in subregions that were not included in the SPMS Database despite having substantial potato acreage.

The CIP efforts resulted in adding segments for several new subregions that produce significant amounts of potato but are not currently targeted by CIP breeding: Central Asia (about 420,000 ha), Western Asia (390,000 ha), Northern Africa (460,000 ha), Western Africa (400,000 ha), Central Africa (170,000 ha), and Southern Africa (75,000 ha).

Overall, this exercise expanded the number of market segments for potato, from 9 to 59, including 24 market segments from subregions currently not served by CIP breeding. The revised market segmentation is presented in Table 1 and will be soon made available in the SPMD Database, hosted by the Global Market Intelligence Platform (GloMIP). The next steps will involve description of identified market segments by gathering information on the area under crop and the value and volume per market segment. Accordingly, a survey has been recently launched by the CIP market intelligence team to gather expert opinions on these aspects. Discussions will follow to coordinate efforts on the design of the new target product profiles (TPPs) that describe the ideal product for the new market segments identified. Inclusion of market segments from new regions that CIP is not yet targeting brings an opportunity to begin an evidence-based conversation and evaluate the possibility of future geographical expansion.

Table 1. Revised potato market segments based on the eight market segmentation criteria designed by CGIAR