Project Name：Seed Potato Production Project (Eswatini)

Project status：Completed projects

Cooperating Country：Africa, Kingdom of Eswatini

Project Description：This project is to assist the Kingdom of Eswatini to establish a seed potato propagation system, a seed potato inspection and certification system, and a seed potato supply system. This will improve the quality and yield of seed potatoes, and replace imports of seed potatoes by way of producing sufficient quantity of G4 seed potatoes every year, which can supply the demand of planting potatoes locally. This project will also gradually increase yield of fresh potatoes to a sufficient level to meet domestic consumption needs.
The project plan is as follows:
1.Establish G2 to G4 seed potato propagation nursery systems;
2.Train seed potato field production technicians;
3.Establish seed potato inspection and certification standards;
4.Train seed potato field inspection technicians and seed potato laboratory technicians;
5.Establish a seed potato supply system;
6.Establish a seed potato tissue culture propagation system, including in vitro, G0 and G1 propagation nurseries;
7.Train plant tissue culture technicians and seed potato propagation technicians;
8.Organize and train farmers to produce G4 seed potatoes under contract;
9.Train farmers in fresh potato production technology.

Implementation Start Date：2013-07-01

Implementation End Date：2019-12-31

Project Objectives：The general objective is to produce and supply 4,000 tissue culture seedlings and 540 tons of high quality G0-G4 seed potatoes annually in the Kingdom of Eswatini.

Executing Agency：Ministry of Agriculture
Taiwan Technical Mission in the Kingdom of Eswatini

Project Performance：1.Constructed one tissue culture laboratory and one G1 120M2 greenhouse with automatic irrigation and cooling system and one G2 3,000M2 screen house for high generation seed production and established G3 and G4 seed potato production system.
2.Established one 1,200M2 seed potato storage depot comprising four 100 M2 cold rooms.
3.Constructed one disease detection laboratory and assist Eswatini in establishing seed certification regulation and system.
4.Produced 1,472 tons of certified seed potato for local farmers.
5.Conducted 21 seed potato and table potato cultivation training courses for farmers. The aggregated number of trainees is 607.

Project Contact：Wei-chen, Tsai

Phone：+886-2-2873-2323 Ext.215

E-mail：w.c.tsai@icdf.org.tw

Mission：Taiwan Technical Mission in the Kingdom of Eswatini (Former Swaziland), Other (Projects)