People with land encouraged to buy, plant potato seedlings

By MICHAEL LAI
KEPELAM potato seed multiplication project in Wabag has urged local people with suitable farm land to get free seedlings and plant them to sell.
Project supervisor and Enga special projects coordinator Aimos Joseph said they aimed to distribute seedlings to 500 farmers in 2019.
He said agriculture was one of the areas the Enga government was targeting to support local people.
Joseph said there were huge tracts of land Enga farmers could use to grow potato.
“If they farm well, they will sell their harvest for K1.80 per kg offered by Sirunki Israeli Agro Industries Ltd,” he said.
“It is an idea to put money into the grassroots’ pockets.
“We are supplying seedlings starting in the Pilikambi and the Sirunki areas with support of Enga government.
“It is an initiative of the provincial government to help the grassroots and we supply seedlings for free.”
Joseph said hundreds of seedlings had been already distributed to 40 farmers and they were looking at 460 more.
He urged people from the five Enga districts to organise themselves for seed distribution.
Joseph said potato was both a cash crop and for self-consumption.
“Farmers will enhance food security, create wealth when they sell them for money and reduce poverty in the communities,” he said.