Plateau farmers brace for late blight outbreak as planting season begins

Potato farmers in Plateau State have been advised to adopt a variety of farming practices including crop rotation, sole cropping, application of pesticides and selection of healthy plants, to contain losses incurred from potato disease, late blight.

Chairman of Solanum Potatoes and Vegetable Marketers Association, Shippi Emmanuel, said that farmers who adopted some of these “good agricultural practices” are no longer scared of the disease and are increasing production.

Emmanuel made the comment while speaking during the implementation of the Green Innovation Centre project in Nigeria which was held in partnership with Agriculture and Finance Consultants (AFC) in Plateau State.

With the first rains signaling the beginning of another planting season, potato farmers in the state have expressed worry over the blight disease, among other environmental challenges.

Irish farmer, Mrs. Mary Bwakat, in Maikato Bokkos Local Government Area of the state expressed worry that the advent of the rainy season could lead to an outbreak of late blight disease.

Late blight can decimate yields of Irish potatoes. To manage the disease, farmers are advised to use good quality, disease-free, certified seeds and a variety of good practices. But disease-free seeds are both expensive and scarce,” Bwakat said.

However, speaking at the programme, National Root Crop and Research Institute, Plateau State chapter coordinator, Danbaba Anthony, insisted that the use of proper spraying practices and positive selection – a process where farmers harvest and cultivate only healthy plants – would help farmers reduce their fears.

Anthony added that his organisation engages in research to improve production, processing, and storage of root and tuber crops.

However, some farmers have said that clean certified seeds are not easily accessible smallholder farmers in the area.

“I’ve been cultivating Irish potatoes for 15 years now but I have never seen and use clean certified seeds,” Bwakat added.

Another farmer, Dawam Jonathan, who also grows Irish potatoes, however, said the technique works for him.

“I have adopted crop rotation, positive selection, and proper use of fungicides and pesticides to control potato blight disease,” Jonathan said.

Plateau State is one of Nigeria’s hub of Irish potato production, a crop that is one of the most important sources of income for local farmers.

Despite favorable environmental conditions, production capacity has decreased in recent times due to the onslaught of late blight disease on potato farms.