The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is to train over 3,000 potato farmers across the country on harnessing the potato value chain for agri-business.
The Director, Federal Department of Agriculture, Hajiya Karima Babangida disclosed this at the opening of a five day training workshop on Good Agricultural Practices for Irish potato farmers in Katsina State.
Mrs. Babangida who was represented by the head of the Katsina Field office of the department, Alhaji Sirajo Darma, explained that the workshop was aimed at building the capacity of potato farmers on best practice and simple business models of Irish potato farming.
Darma said this would equip them and change their orientation from subsistence to profit-driven agriculture, thereby stimulating productivity and boosting personal and national income from the potato value chain.
“This training is conducted in order to give our farmers an orientation on Irish potato production which they are not used to because the soil in this area does not support the breeds that they previously knew which is not supported by the kind of hot vegetations we have in Katsina.
“The first aim is to let them know that there are exotic breeds that can adapt to various climatic conditions and then to take their attention from subsistence farming to large scale business farming.
“We also want to expand the program for more farmers to benefit, so that Irish potato will become a staple food here in Katsina and all the others states where the training will hold”, Darma said.
In his remarks, the National Coordinator, Potato Value Chain, Mr. Adedamola Adegoke explained that the farmers will be trained on how to adopt new business innovations and be provided will seedlings that can adapt to the climate belt in their regions.
He urged the sixty farmers selected for the training in Katsina State to put to practice the various techniques of value addition in Irish potato cultivation, processing, packing, and sale.
“Nationwide we have been able to train 420 farmers, and since we are focusing on farmers from different cooperatives, we also believe that those that we train here will step down the training to other members of their various cooperatives.
“We will also training farmers in other parts of the country, like Taraba where you have places like the Mambila Plateau that are very suitable for Irish potato farming, and as we are building the capacity of our farmers towards large scale commercial Irish potato production we expect them to produce more and we are willing to support them with improved, high-yieling variety of Irish potato seedlings”, Adegoke noted.
He pointed out that the Good Agricultural Practices, GAP, and the Farmers Business School will collaborate with the agricultural development agencies in states towards providing training and extension services to Irish potato farmers in the country.
Isma’il Adamu
