Sky’s the limit for Arcturus potato farmer

Sky’s the limit for Arcturus potato farmer
Sunday, 17 July 2011 00:36 Agriculture
Agriculture Editor

A HUGE potato project at a farm in Arcturus has shown that black farmers are capable of producing on a commercial scale if they get the necessary support.

Professor Kingston Kajese’s Nhaka Farm project has become a roaring success story in the area and the envy of many. Prof Kajese said when he was allocated the farm in 2005, he went into commercial maize production before venturing into potato farming after getting assistance from a local potato seed production co-operative.

He started growing potatoes on five hectares of land before doubling the hectarage. At present, he has expanded the area under the tuber to 17 hectares with the crop being sold on the local market.

Initially, he was getting between five and eight tonnes per hectare, but the yields have since gone up to about 17 tonnes per hectare.

Asked how he had managed to achieve such high yields, Prof Kajese said he realised that a functional irrigation system was of paramount importance as the crop required a lot of water.

Spraying of chemicals was also critical from germination to harvesting time.

Prof Kajese said it was equally important for farmers to use the correct certified seed to achieve good yields.

“Ridging is also important and farmers are able to grow the crop three times per year,” he said.

Prof Kajese added that there were more than 300 varieties of seed potato awaiting certification at the country’s Nyanga Research Station. - The Sunday Mail