Lesotho tries new potato seed

MAHALI TS’EETS’E

MOHALE’S HOEK – Next Level Ventures, in collaboration with Dutch company Solynta, has introduced local farmers to a novel potato seed with the aim to improve the crop production in the country.

The news seed type is piloted in Lesotho by biotechnology company that specializes in hybrid potato breeding Solynta from the Netherlands.

Dubbed the true seed, the company has brought Basotho farmers Hybrid True Potato Seed (TPS) and the first planting was carried out in Qalakheng, Mohale’s Hoek, last Thursday.

Solynta’s Alex Platt, a representative from the potato company based in South Africa, stated that they have been working with Solynta Hybrid True Potato Seeds which is a company located in the Netherlands for 14 years on “this technological innovation that brought into existence True Potato Seeds.”

“This technological innovation offers a revolutionary way of growing potatoes directly from seeds thereby lessening a need for potato tubers,” Platt mentioned.

He stated that the main purpose of Hybrid True Potato Seeds is to enable smallholder farmers to grow potatoes easily.

Platt said the fact that the TPS are pest resistant will be of immense benefit to Basotho farmers as he outlined their benefit at the occasion to pilot plant seeds in the district.

“True Potato Seeds adapting to different soil types and weather conditions which will reduce the application of artificial fertilizers on the soil.”

Additionally, for each seed a farmer will get an identical potato, Platt expounded.

He also informed farmers that when one wants to grow potatoes there will not be any dependency on potato tuber growers which means with true potato seeds a farmer is not restricted by time when it comes to potato planting hence better planning for more yield.

While Platt schooled local farmers on the importance of using the alternative new method of potato farming, he cautioned that they should not be quick to do away with the traditional methods adding “technology evolves but that does not mean tuber potato farming is completely getting eradicated.”

“The introduction of true seeds is just another way of farming potatoes in the more efficacious manner,” he said.

Lesole Sefume, from Agric Research under the Department of Agricultural Research, applauded the initiative.

He said at Solynta as well as implementation partners – Next Level Ventures, they “are always on the lookout in finding recent agricultural technologies from abroad and put them into test so that they could be utilized properly in order to benefit Lesotho’s farmers.”

He also applauded the effort by the organization saying “the challenge of having to import potato seeds from other countries has been attended to by this profound collaboration of Solynta and Next Level Ventures.”

Sefume said that the availability of potato seeds in Lesotho is a tremendous advantage.

True potato seeds are categorized into Solhy 12 and Solhy 17. Solhy 12 are seeds that grow into huge potatoes which could be used while cooking fries while Solhy 17 are baby potatoes that could be used for mash.

Potato Lesotho Association representative, Joele Sekhoane Mokemane, said he believes that the initiative will result into more production of potatoes in Lesotho and that the challenge of not having seeds at the right time will soon be a thing of the past.

Potatoes are part of daily diet for many people in Lesotho especially fast food outlets where they are eaten fried but local production hardly meets demands.