Potato farmers in the country have every reason to smile after researchers announced they have come up with a disease free seed.
Korea
Project on International Agriculture (KOPIA) which was instrumental in
the development of the new potatoes varieties says the seeds are
available to the farmers.
Kenya
KOPIA Center Director Dr. Kim Choong Hoe said the clean potato seed
will be free from bacterial wilt, and virus which have been the major
headache to the farmers for many years.
He
said although the seed will not be a hundred per cent disease free, it
will be such a relief to the farmers who will no longer use the
expensive anti-fungal chemicals to fight the disease.
Nancy
Nganga and Dr Peter Kinyae both from the Kenya Agricultural .Livestock
and Research Organization (KALRO), Tigoni center have consequently
embarked on intensive farmer education program to train the farmers on
the benefits of the new potatoes verities.
The
researchers have clustered potato farmers from Karai in Kiambu, Ndia in
Kirinyaga and
Wanjohi villages in Nyandarua Counties respectively where
they are trained on the best methods to use in the production of
disease free commodity.
