By Faridat Salifu
Plateau State has launched an ambitious potato value chain project aimed at reducing Nigeria’s dependence on imported potato products while expanding local processing, creating jobs and boosting farmers’ incomes.
Governor Caleb Mutfwang, who commissioned the project in Mangu Local Government Area recently said the initiative marks a shift from exporting raw produce to building a competitive potato industry capable of supplying both domestic and international markets.
The project features a Tissue Culture Laboratory for producing disease-free seed, potato processing facilities, a farmer training centre and mechanised farming equipment designed to improve productivity and value addition.
Mutfwang said Nigeria spends huge sums importing potato products that can be produced locally, stressing that Plateau State has the climate and capacity to become the country’s leading potato production and processing hub.
He disclosed that the state government plans to commence local production of potato chips and potato flakes while incorporating potato-based products into the school feeding programme to stimulate demand for locally grown potatoes.
According to him, the initiative is expected to generate employment across the value chain, including seed production, farming, processing, packaging, transportation and marketing.
“Our problem is production. We don’t produce what we need. In the next three to five years, the story of potato on the Plateau will be a different story,” the governor said.
He urged farmers to multiply the disease-free planting materials distributed under the project and adopt improved seed varieties, mechanisation and cooperative farming to increase yields and tackle crop diseases.
The governor also announced plans to establish an organised agricultural market, revive the Agricultural Services and Training Centre (ASTC) and build additional processing facilities to strengthen the state’s agro-industrial base.
Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Samson Bugama, described the initiative as the beginning of the “Plateau Potato Revolution,” noting that the Tissue Culture Laboratory would ensure a steady supply of disease-free planting materials while supporting the development of indigenous potato varieties.
He said the project integrates seed multiplication, farmer training and processing into one coordinated value chain to strengthen Plateau’s competitiveness in the potato industry.
Project Coordinator of the Plateau State Potato Value Chain Support Project, Chief Jerry Gushop, said the programme had transformed an initiative conceived in 2017 into a functioning agricultural project within one year.
He said the project had established a Tissue Culture Laboratory, constructed 118.4 kilometres of rural roads and culverts, built nine community markets and nine diffuse light storage facilities, installed 17 spring capture systems and 22 water-harvesting structures, and established three potato processing plants in Mangu, Bokkos and Barkin Ladi.
According to him, the project also distributed 1,000 water pumps, 1,200 bags of quality seed and 270 tonnes of improved seed varieties, alongside crop protection chemicals, while hundreds of farmers and agribusiness operators received training in seed multiplication, modern production techniques, processing and packaging.
Steve Bawa of Fruits and Veggies Limited said about 3,000 farmers had already benefited from the initiative through the training of 100 licensed community seed producers.
He added that 10 containers of certified potato seed had been imported and planted on about 90 hectares, describing the programme as one of the largest potato seed multiplication initiatives in West Africa.
Chairman of Mangu Local Government Council, Emmanuel Mwolpun, expressed confidence that improved access to quality planting materials and mechanised farming would increase productivity, reduce poverty and reinforce Plateau State’s position as Nigeria’s leading potato-producing state.