Online Reporter
Theseus Shambare
Zimbabwe has taken a significant step towards science – driven agriculture with the commissioning of the Kutsaga Tissue Culture Facility, a state-of-the-art laboratory expected to accelerate horticultural and seed production through the supply of high-quality, disease – free planting material.
The facility, housed within the Molecular Biology Section at Kutsaga Research Station, is designed to produce genetically uniform and disease-free plantlets for high-value crops such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, bananas, sugarcane, strawberries and a wide range of horticultural species.
With a growth room capacity of up to one million plantlets per production cycle and the ability to run multiple cycles each year, the laboratory is set to ensure a consistent, year-round supply of superior planting material for farmers.
Speaking ahead of the commissioning, Kutsaga Research Station chief executive officer, Dr Frank Magama, said the facility was the result of years of intensive research, innovation and rigorous pilot testing.
“This facility represents the culmination of extensive experimental work. Our teams have developed and validated production protocols to ensure high-quality, disease – free plantlets that will support both small-scale and commercial growers across the country,” Dr Magama said.
The commissioning comes amid growing national and international recognition for Kutsaga and its leadership in technology-driven agriculture.
Last month, Dr Magama was named CEO of the Year: Agribusiness and overall 2025 CEO of the Year at the CEO Africa Roundtable Awards, underscoring the institution’s expanding role beyond traditional tobacco research.
On the international stage, Zimbabwean agritech start-up Modernleaf AI, working in collaboration with Kutsaga, recently won the Innovation Award at the World Tobacco Conference Middle East in Dubai.
The award recognised the use of Artificial Intelligence to improve soil health management and curing practices.
“At Kutsaga, we deliberately charted a transformative path; reshaping institutional culture and expanding our science and innovations beyond tobacco,” Dr Magama said.
“This recognition validates the transformative work we are undertaking and motivates us as we look ahead to 2026 with renewed vigour.”
