Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB) will start distributing new drought resistant potato varieties to farmers in order to increase yields.
Launched in partnership with the International Potato Centre (CIP), the six varieties are part of the 43 potato breeds that were imported from Peru over the last five years.
The varieties that are yet to be given names were successfully tested in Musanze and Nyamagabe districts, some of the highest producers of Irish potatoes in the country.
The varieties followed some five others which were released in November last year. They were particularly found to be resistant to heat, which also makes them suitable for growing in the Eastern and Southern provinces.
According to officials from RAB, a lot of efforts were put in providing Irish potato farmers with new clones as it has been proven that farmers were growing seeds imported in the 1980s, which were no longer productive as they got old.
"Irish potato farmers have been growing varieties which were not responding to their demand towards optimal produce as the varieties were too old, yet quality varieties are required for various purposes including processing, the previous varieties were no longer resistant to climate change,” revealed Placide Rukundo, scientist and coordinator of roots and tuber programme at RAB.
He went on to explain that the new varieties will eventually boost Irish potato farmers’ welfare as they have been proven to comply with the farmers and market demand.
"These varieties will win the market as they are of reddish color yet potatoes of this kind are bought like hot cakes at even a high price. They will also be giving a boosted produce and local processing plants admired the varieties given that they tested them to produce quality chips and crisps,” noted Rukundo
Rukundo underscored that RAB looks forward to offering farmers a wide-range of varieties that are productive, diseases resistant and adaptable to broad areas so as to take Irish potato farming to another level.
"Irish potato is an important crop given the money it generates and how much it contributes towards the country’s efforts to foster food security. Supporting the farmers through introducing new and adaptable varieties is the way to go,” he said.
Rukundo added that the new varieties will be named by February 2020.
Farmers welcomed the new varieties, saying it would help them scale up the quantity and quality of potatoes.
"Varieties that we have been growing were no longer productive, however, with the new varieties we expect a boosted produce given that some of us who grew them during the trial phase harvested quality produce,” said Emmanuel Mubashankwaya, a farmer from Rulindo District
Official figures from RAB indicate that Irish potatoes are grown on about 60,000 hectares countrywide and the crop is predominantly grown in three zones – the Volcanoes, Buberuka and Congo-Nile Trail.
The volcano zone made of Musanze, Nyabihu and Rubavu districts contributes 60 per cent at the national Irish potato production while the Congo-Nile Trail which is comprised of Nyamagabe, Nyaruguru, Ngororero and Rutsiro Districts contributes 15 per cent.
Buberuka Zone which is made up of Gicumbi and Burera Districts contributes 20 per cent.
About 8,000 tonnes of Irish potatoes are sold at various markets from City of Kigali on a daily basis which makes the city to be the top consumer of potatoes; this is while every Rwandan consumes about 150 kilogrammes of Irish potato on annual basis.