Page 23 - 國合會2016電子書-英文

Operations

1 Case Study

Seed Potato
Production Project

Taiwanese experts in Swaziland instructing local technicians on virus detection
techniques and workflow for seed potatoes.

Potato is the most common Africa and launched into a collaborative with the main potato farms to raise the
root vegetable in the Kingdom of study with local research institutions, production volume of seed potatoes
Swaziland. Unfortunately, local including the Malkerns Agricultural and table potatoes across the country.
farmers have been unable to stabilize Research Station, Lowveld Experiment To establish a standardization
production and fulfill domestic Station and the University of system, the project team introduced
demands due to lack of quality seed Swaziland. The joint team developed field monitoring and seed potato
potatoes, unstable supply of seed seed potatoes from generation 1 to inspection techniques and trained
potatoes in both quality and quantity generation 4 in accordance with the Swazi personnel on the principles
from South African suppliers, and certification scheme of South Africa, of production and inspection
absence of seed potato standards. and established standard operating requirements. The project team
Following numerous discussions procedures from production and continued to promote the tiered
between expert teams from Taiwan cold storage management to grading certification system for seed potatoes,
and Swaziland, both agreed that and distribution of final products. The enabling the farmers to trade seed
Swaziland is in need of a large amount project team also teamed up with the potatoes through the free commercial
of healthy seed potatoes and simple private sector, including large local and trade system in southern Africa.
expansion in production would not potato farmers and agricultural supply Experts from Taiwan were also invited
solve the problem. They concluded companies to expand production as to share Taiwan’s experiences at
that, to cut off long-term dependence well as the visibility and influence of the technical conferences. All of these
on imported potatoes, the issue must project. efforts aimed to lay a foundation for
be tackled at a higher level, along with To cope with the problems brought Swaziland’s development of the seed
establishing a seed potato inspection by climate change and issues in potato industry, and it is anticipated
and certification system, a seed potato farmland and water source, the project that local production will gradually
propagation system and a seed potato team introduced Taiwan’s cut potato replace imports before project
supply system. breeding technique and commercial handover in 2020.
farming model, and accelerated tissue
From production to standardization: culture and greenhouse propagation
Setting a foundation for seed methods to stabilize the quality and
potato production quantity of seed potatoes and the
Since the project was initiated in intermediate propagation system. The
July 2013, the project team began project also enlisted the Taiwan Seed
to grow seed potatoes in the fields Improvement and Propagation Station
provided by the Swazi government for to help the Ministry of Agriculture of
the experimental and testing stages Swaziland keep full control over the 116,700 kg
and conducted studies to screen out quantity of seed potato supply at the
potential varieties. To achieve stage source and stabilize production of Expected annual
1 target of increased production, the specific pathogen free (SPF) in-vitro yield of healthy seed
project team purchased the varieties plants (G0). As to the downstream potatoes
preferred by the locals from South aspect, the project team collaborated

21