daglous masveta
Edgar Vhera
Agriculture Specialist Writer
THE Government’s interventions in the Irish potato sub-sector have given consumers more buying power, after the average price dropped by 54 percent from US$13 earlier this year to US$6 for a 15-kilogramme pocket now.
Daily market statistics availed by Knowledge Transfer Africa (KTA) from Mbare Musika show that the price of large potatoes rose from an average of US$9 per 15 kilogramme pocket in January to US$13 in March.
In response to the development, the Government allocated 6 750 ha to Irish potato production to increase the supply of product on the market under its 2024 winter plan.
The resultant increase in production has since triggered the decline in prices to the current US$6 per 15kg pocket of large potatoes.
The Crops, Horticulture, Fisheries and Livestock Summer Plan (CHFLSP) 2024/2025 disclosed that about 85 percent of the population consumes maize and traditional grains as staple grains, with 15 percent consuming potatoes and rice as staple food.
“It is, therefore, imperative to cater for the varying consumption patterns in our food systems by encouraging potato production in the 2024/25 summer season.
“The national potato yields remain low at 20 tonnes per hectare against a potential of 40 tonnes per hectare. Efforts to get new genetics for potato and improve agronomy are underway while disease management has been enhanced through the establishment of state-of-the-art micro-propagation facilities,” read the report.
The plan also indicated that 25 000 hectares would be planted in August 2024 and February 2025 with a yield of 725 000 tonnes expected.
The country requires about 500 000 tonnes of potatoes annually and is self-sufficient from local production.
Zimbabwe Seed Potatoes Companies Associations (ZSPCA) chairman, Mr Peter Steyl said he was confident the production target would be achieved, as some farmers had retained seed that can be augmented with imports to achieve the desired hectarage.
“Seed availability must be complemented by reliable financing. If Government could provide crop financing at competitive interest rates, a large crop output is possible,” he said.
The Government declared potatoes a strategic crop to enhance food security at household and national level and instituted a number of measures, chief among them a ban on table potato imports since 2010.
This was a deliberate measure with the objective of protecting the local potato farmers from unfair competition from cheap imports from neighbouring countries.
Government allowed supervised importation of certified potato seed by seed houses to complement local seed production.
Seed Services Institute (SSI) head Mr Edmore Mtetwa said this attracted foreign breeders who started to engage local seed houses to register their varieties with SSI.
“Consequently, in the last 10 years, various seed houses registered a total of 25 high yielding, table, chipping and crisping potato varieties after going through the necessary multi-locational adaptability trials. To further incentivise local potato production, the Government facilitated registration of new players in the seed supply side and the total number of seed houses for potato seed grew from only one active in 2009 to 12 by 2022,” said Mr Mtetwa
Kutsaga Research has been designated a certifying potato seed agent mandated to produce and market potato seed under the auspices of Zimbabwe Potato Micro-Propagation Association (ZPMA).
An exponential increase in potato production from 52 000 tonnes in 2010 to 673 484 last year. Hectarage under potatoes also rose 107 percent from 11 600 hectares in 2013 to 24 053 in 2023.
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