Plateau Potato Farmers get high-yield seedling.
About 4,000 Potato Farmers in Plateau State have been handed over improved seedlings to achieve maximum output in this year’s farming season.
The improved seedlings are said to have resistance against potato blight.
The seedlings were provided by civil society organisation, Solidaridad, supported by Government of the Netherlands.
The product was unveiled during the kickoff of distribution of seedlings to farmers in Bokkos and Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The Programme Manager of Solidaridad, Kene Onukwube, said: “We are starting with 4,000 household farmers. This can be further expanded as we expect the state government to to replicate this programme subsequently.
“For the prove of concept we started with Bokkos and Mangu local governments and together with the State Ministry of Agriculture would be able to show us other locations which is possible to do same project”.
He noted that the seedlings had been tested and trusted, and that with the support and collaboration of Plateau State Government, they would together provide opportunities to the farmers to learn good agricultural practices in order to tackle food insecurity.
Onukwebe said the seedlings were not only disease-resistant, but also that there were maturing varieties, adding they they were not only going to be focusing on Mangu and Bokkos LGAs but will include other pertinent local government areas in the project.
Plateau State Governor, Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Esther Pwaspo, said the state government was determined to improve and sustain agric business in the state so as to boost massive production of Potato for export.
Ms Pwaspo advised the farmers to follow the standard procedure of using the seedlings and not do things on their own so that they could get the required results from the yields.
The farmers promised to make judicious use of the seedlings in other to boost the crop’s cultivation and ensure food security in the state and the nation by extension.
-9News Nigeria.
