The government of Nigeria has commenced with the construction of a potato tissue culture lab in Plateau State in Nigeria following an African Development Bank (AfDB) approved loan of US$3.38m 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 boost to the state’s great potential for the production of potatoes for export. According to him, the laboratory will address the problem of low-yielding potato varieties and provide high quality seed.
The Governor also addressed the fact that potato production in the state was greatly reduced over the years because of the frequent occurrence of potato late blight, and low quality seed. He noted that the project will generate more income for small scale farmers in the state, as well as for 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 fresh potatoes but also value added products from the Potato Value Chain.
Source: Construction Review Online
