Uganda: Desperately needs quality potato seed

Researchers Swaibu Mbowa and Francis Mwesigye at the Makerere-based Economic Policy Research Centre (EPRC), found that the shortage in potato seed supply has taken a toll on farmers, especially in the Kigezi sub-region.

Potato seeds are used to grow Irish potatoes, mainly in Kigezi. However, researchers found that many farmers were using recycled seeds, which cannot support an industrial-scale demand for the crop.

In a June 2016 survey, the researchers found that "there were limited volumes of clean seed produced; the right potato varieties; and some private potato seed suppliers provided poor quality".

The researchers used data from Kachwekano zonal agricultural research development Institute, and the Private Foundation of Seed Potato Multipliers. They found that currently "it is estimated that the country needs to produce about 25,400 tonnes (25.4 million kg) of quality seed", estimated at Shs 28.1bn per annum.

But a gap of $5.6m (Shs 19bn) remains due to limited capacity in the seed potato supply chain, researchers say.

"Most potato producers in the Kigezi sub-region are subsistence farmers, characterized by poor farming methods, which include use of poor-quality inputs," said the researchers.

"Over 90 per cent of farmers use poor-quality recycled seeds."

This lowers productivity and yields to between four and seven tonnes per hectare. A hectare has a potential for 21 metric tonnes. Most of the private suppliers, researchers say, are not registered and, therefore, not regulated, which puts into question the quality of seeds they supply.

The researchers classified the seed potato production as a "profitable business, with production costs of about Shs 2.1m per acre but with an expected gross revenue of Shs 6.1m."

They also found that farms with higher yields grossed Shs 8m per acre. They warn, however, that the very small seed-potato-producing farms are likely to make losses.

"Therefore, the economic viability of a seed farm unit is dependent on the size of the land operated."

Appearing before the parliamentary finance committee, the minister of finance, Matia Kasaija, said he had made interventions to improve potato production in southwestern Uganda. He revealed that they had given $2m (Shs 6.8bn) to businessman Tom Mugenga to set up a potato processing plant in the region, but he could not account for the money."

He said the government was to take over the plant after its owners failed to run it. Kasaija described the factory as "too important to the lives of Ugandans" especially in southwestern Uganda, to be ignored. However, this study reveals that farmers faced constraints right from the quality of seeds to planting.

To cover the seed potato gap, researchers say, Ugandans should invest in the opportunity in seed production because it was profitable. They also implored government and the private sector to build capacity in seed multiplication "that would increase not only the quality of seed produced but also generate potato varieties that can be processed for value addition."

Source: allafrica.com