TANZANIA is actively working to improve its Irish potato production through international partnerships, enhanced research, and a focus on commercialisation to increase yields and establish a strong regional and global standing.

The move is driven by an ambitious initiative led by the Agricultural Growth Corridors of Tanzania (AGCOT).

As part of Tanzania’s national strategy to transform the agriculture sector, cultivation of the edible tuber crop has expanded to more regions, with farmers receiving training in essential agronomic practices.

Tanzania is already a major producer of Irish potatoes in sub-Saharan Africa, currently ranked 6th in Africa and 45th globally.

In an interview with The Guardian, AGCOT Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Geoffrey Kirenga said that the programme has equipped farmers in additional regions to grow the crop successfully.

“For years, production was concentrated in the southern highlands of Tanzania, covering nearly 220,000 hectares, supported by a unique bimodal rainfall pattern that allows for two harvests annually,” he said.

He revealed that, under the new drive, production has been extended to the regions of Morogoro, Ruvuma, and Sumbawanga.

As part of AGCOT’s role in transforming Tanzania’s Irish potato industry, Kirenga noted that the programme launched special pilot trials involving farmer-to-farmer training and demonstration plots.

These are designed to provide practical agronomic knowledge to farmers in the new regions, according to him.

“The trials were very successful, and farmers in the new regions, especially in Gairo District, Morogoro region have embarked on large-scale production this season,” he noted.

With the introduction of high-yielding certified varieties such as SAGITTA, Kirenga expressed optimism that farmers will achieve bumper harvests, lifting the economic sector to new heights.

He stated that with this hybrid variety, farmers can yield over 22.4 tons per hectare if they follow recommended growing practices.

Beno Mgaya, a lead farmer and AGCOT’s beneficiary from Njombe region, highlighted some of the challenges facing farmers in the industry.

He itemised key bottlenecks that need to be addressing, including poor infrastructure, especially roads from production areas to markets, pests and diseases, low-quality storage facilities such as cold rooms and climate change.

“The lack of adequate standard storage facilities remains a major barrier preventing local farmers from benefiting from expanded international potato markets,” he said.

Mgaya called on the government to collaborate with key stakeholders in the crop’s value chain to ensure the availability of standard storage towers. This would help ensure that exported potatoes meet international quality standards, he observed.

He also emphasised the need for more interventions to improve the processing and packaging quality of Tanzanian potatoes.

Irish potato production in Tanzania is a rapidly growing sector, with an average annual growth rate of 11 percent.

Export markets for the crop include Uganda, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Comoros, South Sudan, South Africa, and Kenya, which together account for over 90 percent of exports.

Several initiatives have been implemented to expand export opportunities. These include the Market Access Dossier, a collaboration with the FAO, which aims to secure access to markets in 14 countries, including the EU, USA, China, and South Africa, unlocking potential markets valued at $3.4 billion.

For its part, the government has been working to improve policies and initiatives, such as promoting improved, disease-resistant potato varieties, training farmers in best agronomic practices, and supporting farmer groups for collective marketing and input access.