By Martha Agas
The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has begun distribution of inputs to farmer cooperative societies to accelerate potato production in four local government areas of Plateau.
The benefiting farmer groups drawn from Bokkos, Mangu, Jos South and Barkin-Ladi LGAs each received 12 litres of liquid fertilisers and two knap sack sprayers, respectively.
The NEPC distributed the items to the farmers, on Thursday in Jos, during the third quarter meeting of the State Committee on Export Promotion in Plateau (SCEP) and products of horticulture.
According to him, there are nine LGAs producing in potatoe and has the potentials of cultivating the produce all the year round in the state.
Also speaking, the Acting Chairman, Potato Producers in the state, Mr Isaac Bawah said that potato has high yield potential of about 60 tonnes per hectre, lamenting that farmers were recording between six to seven tonnes per hectre due to difficulties in production.
Bawah said that they need inputs such as fungicides to address diseases associated with potato and also urged government to facilitate mechanised farming to boost their production.
One of the beneficiaries, Mrs Sarah Kwarpo from Jos South lauded the NEPC for the intervention and assured them that they would put it to good use.
