Nari heads into commercial taro farming

By JACINTA COHLEE
THE National Agricultural Research Institute (Nari) recently released taro planting materials for commercial farming.
Agriculture Minister John Boito witnessed the release of the Nari taro cultivars for commercial and mass production.
Nari director-general Dr Nelson Simbiken said research on it began in 1998 to develop the seven varieties of taro (Colocasia esculenta).
The hybrid taro went through many cycles of breeding and evaluation.
“They were assessed for their tolerance to taro leaf blight (fungal disease), good yield (up to 14 tonne per hectare), wide adaptability (lowlands to highlands) and good eating quality (nutrition,” Simbiken explained.
The taro varieties have been continually promoted for food security and commerce all over the country in addition to the local varieties the farmers have in their gardens.
The varieties were first released in 2000 and 2017.
Four varieties were favoured by farmers and buyers/consumers.
“The National Agricultural Research Institute is ready to promote and supply quality planting materials in the required quantity and doing it consistently for our commercial farmers and farming enterprises,” Simbiken said.
“Nari will endeavour to provide technical expertise in commercial taro production at farmer level and semi-to-fully commercial scale taro production across the country.”