admin
Edgar Vhera-Agriculture Specialist Writer
THE Government’s import substitution policy is already leaving its footprints on the agriculture industry with seed potato imports dropping 33 percent from US$7 million in the first half of 2022 to US$5 million in the corresponding period this year, thanks to sustained local production efforts for the crop.
Statistics from the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStats) show that the country imported fresh or chilled seed potato worth US$7 455 747 in the first half of last year against US$4 960 804 this year.
In volume terms seed potato imports dropped 28 percent from 9 501 257 kilogrammes to 6 803 246kg.
Government declared potato a strategic crop to enhance food security at both household and national level and instituted a number of measures, chief among them, a ban on table potato imports since 2010.
This was a deliberate measure whose objective is to protect the local potato farmers from unfair competition from cheap potato imports from neighbouring countries.
The country crafted the Horticulture Recovery and Growth Plan (HRGP) in 2020 where the Irish Potato Growth Project (IPGP) was among the many horticulture projects earmarked for expansion with the country importing 50 percent of the total potato seed requirement of 12 000 tonnes per year.
Seed Services Institute (SSI) head Mr Edmore Mtetwa said the decline was good in advancing the country’s import substitution goal and reiterated that more local seed production was needed to curtail future imports.
“This is a positive development that saves the country a lot of foreign currency from seed imports but we need to establish the real reason for this decline, as it can be that local seed potato production has increased, which is the most preferred scenario. It can also be that inputs are expensive thereby curtailing demand or there is limited potato production,” he said.
Mr Mtetwa bemoaned the fact that there is no farmer friendly patient capital from financial institutions that farmers can borrow to increase production.
The country requires about 25 000 tonnes of seed potato per annum to cater for its local needs.
Zimbabwe Seed Potatoes Companies Associations (ZSPCA) chairman Mr Peter Steyl said increased seed potato production on the local market or decline in potato profitability could also be the cause for the drop.
“There are basically two reasons that I think can explain that fall – either there is increased local seed production or farmers are abandoning production due to elevated costs of production that are squeezing profit margins,” said Mr Steyl.
For sustainable potato production there is need for seed sovereignty, as current high levels of potato seed imports were negating the country’s import substitution drive.
Recently, the rebranded Kutsaga’s Zimbabwe Potato Micro-Propagation Association (ZPMA) started offering its services to some seed houses to fast-track seed potato production, thanks to its state-of-the-art laboratory and purpose-built green-house hardening facilities for commercial production.
ZPMA commenced the seed multiplication programme in the second half of 2019 with production spreading to Norton, Centenary, Goromonzi, Kadoma, Mazowe/Concession, Mvurwi, Norton and Wedza in 2020.
In 2021 production expanded to Lalapanzi, Gweru, Mwenezi, Middle-Sabi, Mhangura, and Mt. Darwin. These engagements have seen the seed multiplication scheme availing more generation four (G4) seed potato tubers to be planted by farmers in the cultivation of table potatoes.
Online Reporter