Clean seed produces 7 varieties of Irish potato
Deputy director of agricultural research services and commodity in the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security Ibrahim Benesi says Malawi has produced seven varities of Irish potato in the last two years as a result of using clean seed.
In a recent interview on the sidelines of a Potato Projects Stakeholders meeting at Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (Luanar), Benesi said Malawi for a long time did not have clean seed for Irish potato a situation which forced farmers to recycle seeds every season and eventually get fewer harvests.
“We are making strides in the Irish potato sector and since last year we have managed to produce seven varieties. Two of the varieties, Violet and Lady Rosita, are on the market and producing better results. As part of up scaling the project we will be releasing the other varieties gradually so that all the farmers can access the seeds with ease,” said Benesi.
He said Irish potato is a very important cash crop which is becoming popular by the day as eating habits of most Malawians are changing.
“We have seen the proliferation of fast food shops in towns which means that the market is growing steadily and hence the need to have high yielding clean seeds,” he said.
National research coordinator for Holticulture in the Ministry of Agriculture, Felistas Chifumbi, concurred with Benesi that farmers do not benefit much from the use of recycled seed as the seeds were prone to diseases.
“Recycling seeds has been a huge challenge in this country and this is the reason why we want to produce a lot of clean material so that farmers can access them,” said Chifumbi.
She said farmers in the potato growing districts of Ntcheu, Dedza, Mchinji, Lilongwe, Ntchisi and Thyolo will now be able to increase their yields and in turn the country will be able to generate foreign exchange through exports.
“Companies such as Shoprite import Irish potatoes because we are not producing enough but we are optimistic that if we can increase our harvests then they will no longer be importing. At the same time we can be exporting the potatoes to other countries and bring in more forex,” she said.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture Ulemu Chilapondwa said it is a prerogative for government to make sure that farmers are given clean seed so that they can produce more.
“This project is very important because it will help our farmers increase their yields and get more money even on a small piece of land,” said Chilapondwa.
