AfDB Potato Value Chain Project To Begin In Plateau Soon – Coordinator

The African Development Bank (AfDB) potato value chain project that will support potato cultivating will begin in Plateau State soon.

The Coordinator of the project, Mr Thaddeus Yelwa has disclosed that the African Development Bank (ADB) potato value chain project that will boost potato farming will commence in Plateau soon.

Yelwa said once the project commences, the state will be producing Irish potato three to four times annually. He explained that the project aimed at improving the quality and quantity of potato farming in the state would empower farmers with improved seedlings and other farming tools.

He added that the value chain project would be an offshoot of Fadama ll programme which ended in 2012.

“Plateau is rated the leading state in terms of execution and utilization of funds made available by AfDB for Fadama ll projects.

“This is why the bank has also agreed to include us in the six states that will benefit from the additional funding.

“This time around the money will be channel into improving potato farming because we produce it in high quantity here in Plateau.

“This project will soon take off, and it will cover the aspect of production, storage, processing, which is value addition and also marketing of the product.

“Let me assure you that with all modalities put in place, Plateau will be producing potato four to five times in a year once the project begins,” Yelwa assured.

He further stressed that with project on full course, potato farmers would smile home as ordeals they usually encounter would be taken care of by the project.

He urged Plateau citizens to go into potato farming, saying “it is a very lucrative and viable business’’.