Construction of US $3.38m Potato Laboratory in Nigeria begins

The government of Nigeria has commenced construction of a Potato Tissue Culture Lab in Plateau State following African Development Bank (AfDB)  approving US $3.38m loan set for the project.

Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony, the Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong said that the tissue culture lab is intended to improve potato yields in the Plateau State by providing clean seed.

He further added that the lab will be a great boost to the state’s great potentials in the mass production of Irish Potatoes for export. According to him, the laboratory would address the problem of low-yielding potato varieties and provide good quality seed.

 

State’s great potentials in the mass production

The Governor also addressed the fact that output of potato production in the state was greatly reduced over the years due to the occurrence of potato blight and degenerated seeds. He noted that the project will generate more income for the small scale farmers, not exempting rural entrepreneurs who engage in the production, processing, storage, and marketing of potato in the state.

“When completed, this project will create 60,000 jobs, out of which our women will constitute 50%,” said Governor Lalong.

 

The project will be done under the auspices of the Potato Value Chain Support Project of the African Development Bank, which translates that in no distance future, the state government will be exporting to other countries of the world, not only Irish Potatoes but also its allied products from the Potato Value Chain.

 

Construction of US $3.38m Potato Laboratory in Nigeria begins