Farmers grapple with low Irish potato yields

Irish potatoes dot the hills in Kabale. The gardens range from the smallest unit one would imagine, to a quarter of an acre and to as big as several hectares.

Irish potato cultivation is mastered here. What oil is to the Saudi, the potato is to the Bakiga. Everyone grows it. It has helped families send their children to school, build permanent houses, feed themselves and many have prospered from selling Irish potatoes.

"I want to be remembered as a potato farmer," boasted Charles Byarugaba, an Irish potato seed multiplier in Nyabyumba village, Katenga, on the slopes of Lake Bunyonyi. Byarugaba recently shifted to an eight bedroomed bungalow. 

"Before, such a house could only be found in the neighborhood of Mbalwa, Namugongo but not in rural Kabale," he bragged.

Although the Irish potato is master here, its productivity among the farmers is still low compared to what the scientists at Kachwekano, the nearby research institute, harvest during their research trials. 

The average Irish potato production at Kachwekano Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute is 25 tons per hectare while many of the farmers produce seven tons per hectare. Dr Alex Barekye, the boss and director of research at the institute, said that is about 4 times less than.

"It is unacceptable. This low productivity is making our farmers not reap the full potential from the Irish potato," he said recently in an interview with the New Vision.

Barekye attributes low productivity to two main factors.

First, he says, farmers are using poor seed.

But his main headache is the second reason; the light blight, fungal disease. The disease does lead to losses of between 40-100%.

The disease affects the plants by drying the leaves. Though the diseases can be manageable when farmers use good seed and applications of fungicides, there is a likely resurgence.

"I recommend the adoption of the transgenic potatoes (genetically modified organisms) which we have developed using a gene from a close Irish potato," said Barekye.

He says the genes confer 100% resistance.

"We have tested the technology. We are sure the technology work. The farmers will grow the transgenic varieties in 2021 once the Genetic Engineering Regulatory Act (GERA) is signed," he said recently at the institute office while hosting a delegation from USAID.

USAID, the US government developing agency, supports multiple programs in the country from education to health and agricultural biotechnology.

With transgenic crops, researchers usually start by looking around for genes that would be incorporated. The gene looked for is one that can confer pests and disease resistance, enhance the nutrition of the crop like Vitamin A in bananas or confer weather resistance like against drought.

The process involves multiple stages including stages. There are multiple tests, including tests for gene incorporation to toxicity levels.

The varieties are also tested in multiple locations to establish their different ecological performance.

In the case of the Irish potatoes, confined field trials were conducted in Rwebitaba to cater for the Toro potato growing region Bugiyanga for the Sebei region.

Though the technology has been adopted by the Chinese, Indians, Brazilian, and South African with much success, its adoption in Africa has been a snail pace with only South Africa growing GM crops on a large scale

Hence New Vision asked him why the Americans are supporting the technology.

"The farmers know the challenges they face, not USAID," he explained. "We partner with the government through NARO (National Agricultural Research Organization) which has its own research agenda. We only facilitate the process in that direction."

American innovations in telecom, agriculture, or education have developed through time and have been smartly adopted by South Korea, Vietnam, China, and Japan.

"NARO has started engaging with the private sector to align its research to the market demand," he added, bringing out the link between American support for research and its desire to see the private sector more involved in research adoption.

What are the farmers saying?

Byarugaba, who is a model farmer in Kabale, says Light Bright is a menace and causes heavy losses to them.

"I lost 200kg of the Victoria potato seed last season as the disease was at its peak and farmers would not plant," he said.

Byarugaba has been growing Irish potatoes since he trained with Africare in 1998. With two screen houses, he is one of the few successful Irish potato farmers.

New Vision asked Byamukama if he would switch to Barekye‘s suggested transgenic new varieties.

"Of course. They fight off the resistance well and produce great sizes. I have participated in the harvesting where I have seen the size of the tuber. They are excellent. We ask the president to sign the GERA so that we can have the transgenic seed."

But the president has refused to sign the Genetic Engineering Regulatory Act (GERA) for the second time. The Act is back in Parliament, which has to take a vote on it.

Bwino Fred Kyakulaga, the chairperson of the Committee of Science, Technology, and Innovation says the president returned the Act without assenting to it because his early concerns were not addressed.

The president's main concern has been the likely loss of indigenous genetic biodiversities like the indigenous Ankole cow and indigenous crops.

This he wrote in a letter to the Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga, in 2017 on what might befall indigenous seeds if genetic engineering technology was adopted. Parliament, on their first try, had given a green light on the National Biosafety Bill meant to regulate and promote the technology.

In the letter, the president tasked NARO and the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) to work out a plan, which he refers to as for Noah's Ark. Noah's Ark is where all our indigenous materials for plant and animals would be kept uncontaminated by GMO for future use if there is a crisis within the modernization efforts.

However, it should be noted that the President is not averse to western agricultural technology.

The increased milk production he usually talks about is due to the adoption of the Friesian cow which is not indigenous.

Now the passing of the Act rests in Parliament, which, under law, can pass it with 2/3 if the president refuses to assent twice.

We wait as Kenya has already passed the law. Uganda may lose the maize export market. Nigeria and Ghana had cleared it for maize as well as cowpeas.