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EXPECT HIGH QUALITY SEEDS EVEN AFTER TRANSITION - TAIWAN

By Qondile Ntiwane | 2019-06-25

The Republic of China (Taiwan) is confident that the sweet potato project will still supply high quality seeds to local farmers even after the transition.

The project sponsored by the Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF) based at Malkerns is meant to produce and supply 4 000 tissue culture seedlings and 540 tonnes of high-quality G0-G4 seed potatoes annually in the Kingdom of Eswatini.

It is also to establish a sustainable healthy seed potatoes production system in order to increase productivity and marketing of potatoes in Eswatini at manageable production costs for farmers as well as establishing a potato virus detection system to help provide disease free seed potatoes to farmers.

Interviewed yesterday, Project Manager James Hong Jyun Jhu said the project also focused on seed production and a healthy seed certification system.

“The certification system will soon be done and we will be finishing the whole production system this year and thereafter the project will transfer to ministry of agriculture.

“We are hoping that after the transition period, everything will still be on track and that the project will keep boosting the potato industry in the Kingdom.

“There will be field inspections conducted every three months to make sure that seed production is well managed,” he said

Jyun Jhu further mentioned that seed costs accounted for more than 40 per cent of the total production cost.

“Eswatini imports more than 7 000 tonnes of potatoes every year. But it is important to know that if Eswatini would like to develop her potato industry and reduce imports, seed supply is the most important foundation.”

“This is why we need make sure we have cleaners of seed diseases because once there is a diseases outbreak the whole potato farm may be destroyed. That’s the reason we need the certification systems,” he said.

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