Nation Update: Officials move to protect sweet potato

Hinzugefügt: 2026-05-27

[00:00:00]I wouldn't say we're in a crisis. I mean, with with these crops, you were going to have pests no matter where you plant and whatever. The The The thing is is to control management of the pests.

[00:00:11]So, for instance, most of the viruses spread through planting material as well as by vectors. How do you control this?

[00:00:17]By using clean planting material. And that's where the tissue culture facility would assist. As I said in my in my in my presentation, we're also looking to bring in some new varieties over in from the International Potato Center, which will help augment what we currently have as well as to look at how we can improve the ability of some of these cultivars to withstand or tolerate some of the viruses that we have.

[00:00:48]It will vary from from plantation to plantation. It will vary on what or the type of planting material you have used.

[00:00:55]But for persons that have are doing the right thing, you are not seeing that it's not going to be as high as it is.

[00:01:02]So, you're not going to get 100%. All right? But some it can it can be reduced 10, 15, 20% all depending on the type of material you you you have that you're planting, as well as the type of pests that you're you're dealing with on the particular field that you have. No, it's not crisis level not yet. The crisis level will come if we don't have any new planting material. And as I said, that is where the tissue culture facilities coming in to give that new material, that clean Notice I said clean planting material that can be bulked up then by farmers. And and farmers can do that bulking up on their own as they go ahead. And that is something that you're going to be taught through this world initiative with IICA, ourselves, CARDI, FAO, all the major players we getting together to really push. I will advise farmers to, if you're going to be growing it, seek some advice from the Ministry or for that matter from CARDIECO or the major players, Um check with the persons who you're getting planting material from to make sure that the planting material is clean.

[00:02:06]Make sure that you you use proper sanitation practices both in your field as well as post harvest because that helps with reducing most of the diseases as well as the pests that can harm your crop.