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Sithandazile Moyo Business Reporter
BULAWAYO residents have embraced sack potato growing with young people confident that this will create employment for them.
Speaking on the sidelines of a training event held in Nkulumane on Sunday, participants said they were glad that they received such training because they were always envying other farmers who were already practising this type of potato farming.
“I remember I saw this sack potato planting on television sometime last year and I was challenged by the women who were practising it and were making money. I am so glad that we received such training because it means that we will be able to make use of our small pieces of land as peri-urban farmers,” said one participant. Obert Ndlovu who also underwent training said the idea was noble and could create employment and generate income for small scale farmers.
“If this initiative is implemented it will create employment, generate income and ensure food security,” he said.
Letty Ncube said she was glad about the project and said that as an unemployed youth she will take it up to earn a living.
“I am going to start working on planting my potatoes. As a young person I believe that this is the way of creating employment for ourselves because most young people are unemployed and have no source of income,” she said.
A consultant agronomist who was conducting the training encouraged the participants to follow the steps and stages that they learnt so that they realise good yields and bigger profits.
“It is important to follow all the steps that you learnt here and make sure that you have all the inputs and chemicals before you start planting so that you will realise good yields and bigger profits,” he said.
Agribusiness consultant Kwirirai Rwere encouraged participants take up sack potato farming at a commercial level and be business minded.
Sack potato planting is a system where potatoes are grown in 50kg sacks which are not plastic coated to allow water to sink through to the ground when watering the crop.
Two and half shovels of top soil, two and half shovels of manure and 100g compound C fertiliser are mixed before potato tubers are planted to achieve fertile soil, this mixture will fill 25 percent of the 50kg sack.
Three tubers which have sprouted and are of the same size are then put in the sack and covered with the fertile soil.
As the crops grow the sack has to be continuously filled with a mixture of top soil and manure up to time when the sack is full. It is watered on a weekly basis to keep the soil moist.
Each bag can produce 15 and 18 kilogrammes if all steps are followed.
Depending on different varieties these potatoes take between three and five months to be ready for harvesting.
Online Reporter