How scientists have interested Sweet potato farmers to embrace value addition

Sweet potato is considered as an important crop and it is ranked as the fourth most important crop in Uganda in terms of production volumes totaling to over 1.8 million metric tons after maize, cassava and bananas

This is according to the Uganda Bureau of Standards (UBOS) statistics of 2016.

It is regarded in Uganda with a reported per capita consumption 73kg person per annum

In addition to food, sweet potato is an important commercial crop contributing to incomes of farmers in Uganda. 

It is grown in all regions of Uganda on 55% of root and tuber arable land.

The major producing districts by region, in descending order include Iganga, Bugiri, Nakasongola Gulu, West Nile and Kyenjojo among others.

Sweet potatoes in Uganda are marketed principally as fresh roots and consumed in steamed, boiled, fried or roasted form.

However Scientists from the National Crops Resources Research Institute NaCRRI have been engaging farmers across the country to embrace sweet potato value addition which has been adopted by a number of farmer groups across the country.

This was revealed during the first ever East African Agribusiness Expo which took place at NaCCRI in Naumlonge under the theme “Fostering Wealth Creation, Resilience and Sustainable Agriculture through Agribusiness and Innovation” and below are the details.

Background

The programme leader Root Crops at NaCRRI Dr Bernard Yada explained his team has been improving Sweet Potato varieties for pest and disease resistance, drought tolerance and nutrition over the years.

However the improved variety breeding programme later intensified with scientists breeding varieties against weevil infestation through extracting DNA and making crosses to reduce the breeding period from 10 years to five years.

A number of varieties have been released which farmers are growing namely, orange fleshed sweet potato variety such as NASPOT8, 11, 12, 13, and NAROSPOT1, 2, 3 and 5.

Additionally, other notable releases include NASPOT 7, 9, 10, and Dimbuka-Bukulula. Some of these varieties are biofortified for vitamin A namely NASPOT 7 and 8.

Some of the land race varieties are Dimbuka, Sukai, Tanzania and Kawogo.  They most widely cultivated due to their sweet taste, high dry matter content and durability.

Most people sell it fresh and consume it in steamed, boiled, fried or roasted form. But farmers are now adding value to the same.

Why agribusiness farmer show case

The Director of the Institute Dr Titus Alicai explained that the Institute has conducted the Expo in collaboration with the East African Grain Council to expose farmers to all the grain, seed and seedlings which have been developed by Naro Institutes in Central Uganda and elsewhere.

He contends that as scientists they develop crop varieties mainly for food security and nutrition for the uptake of all Ugandans

The focus is on stress tolerant crops free from pests and diseases in order for farmers to obtain good seed and seedling for increased yields.

Giving the achievements of the Institute he pointed out that so far his scientists have released over 90 varieties of different crop varieties over the last ten years. This accounts to 2.4 million metric tons to 4.5 million metric tons with maize yields increasing 2.5 tons per hectare fetching 89 million US dollars per annum

Beans alone fetches 17 million US dollars per annum and rice production has increased from 110 metric tons per annum to 310 metric tons per annum accounting for 70% of rice produced locally.

The Deputy Director General Agricultural Technology Promotions Dr Sadik Kassim noted that scientists working for Naro must innovate by developing agricultural products which are resilient to climate change and suitable for agro industrialisation.

This is in a bid for farmers to produce not only for home consumption but for export as well

He called upon the Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industries and Fisheries to continue advocating for higher budget for the Institution because the current staff is not enough to serve the country with only Shs300 billion per annum.

The East Africa Grain Council executive Director Geral Masida explained the challenges farmers are facing in multiple tax charges when exporting their produce across the region.

He promised for his team to continue talking to the heads of states across East and Southern Africa to desist from charging overwhelming taxes on farmer produce 

The sweet potato value chain

At the symposium, the team demonstrated sweet potato value chain right from the farmers who were teaching the best agronomy practice to farmers and students up to products which they have processed out of sweet potato flour.

Dr Yada explained that when his team develops the varieties, they ensure it is clean from viruses in order for farmers not to plant infected vines

The breeding process starts from the Laboratory to obtain early generation seed where the seedlings are transferred to the screen house for selection.

The seedlings are then transferred to certified farmers belonging to their cooperative unions. These selected seedling operatives will further multiply the seedlings which is sold to individual farmers for planting.

Farmers representatives speak out

Mr Tito Wanale from Buyende aged 41 is a farmer growing sweet potato and multiplying seedlings.

He belongs to Buseko seed producers and cooperatives union with 108 members and he is the chairperson.

He notes that out the total number of members, they are six who are seed multipliers.

They are multiplying varieties namely Naropt1, 3, 6 and 7 and Naspot1 and 8, Tanzania and Kabody.

He has been growing the land races for the last 13 years but four years he began multiplying seedling (vines) on 3 acres of land out the total 15 acres he owns where he uses the rest of the acres for growing sweet potato.

The other 5 seedling multipliers do it on 1-2 acres of land but are able to supply all their members.

He contends that in a season the seed multipliers usually produce 10 pickups of potato vines which is sold in sacks and each sack is sold at Shs15, 000.

In his case he is able to produce 300 sacks of sweet potato tubers per season and each sack is sold at Shs180, 000 and Shs200, 000 depending on the season.

He says he has been dependant on sweet potato farming and has been able to educate his 6 children from the proceeds.

He however notes that there is the challenge of prolonged drought leading to ow yields and recurrent pest and disease burden.

Ms Betty Muwuma aged 62 is from Kamuli district and process sweet potato flour and leaves to make tea ingredients.

When processing Sweet potato flour, she is able to add ingredients such as roasted soy bean flour, rice flour and maize flour to come up with baby foods.

She belongs to the same farmer cooperative where they have allocated 10 acres of land for growing sweet potatoes which is processed into flour.

On her part she is able to process flour where she mixes 100 kg of sweet potato flour, 50kg of rice and 100kg of maize. She packages them in 500grms which is sold Shs10, 000.

The same applies to the tea leave ingredients which is packaged in 100gms and sold at Shs5, 000.

Ms Beatrice Okiror Ariko is a manager in one of the bakeries namely JB management Foundation where the team is processing bread using orange fleshed sweet potato. Because it contains Vitamin A food nutrient good for the body.

The team initially started a bakery in Arua City which is the mother bakery capable of producing 300-400 big loafs each sold at Shs5,00 and the small round bread production is 700 per day and sold and Shs7000 per package

Due to the overwhelming demand, the team opened up a branch in Kampala and Yumbe districts respectively.

Apart from processing bread, they are processing cookies and daddies. The composition is that 40% of the flour is orange fleshed sweet potato flour or cooked and mashed with 60% wheat. The idea is to promote farmer grown products and also to reduce uptake of gluten in wheat.