The International Potato Center (CIP), in collaboration with the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB), has launched an initiative aimed at transforming Rwanda's potato sector. This initiative, supported technically and financially by the CGIAR RTB Program and a USAID-funded project, led to the introduction of 11 new potato varieties between 2019 and 2021. These varieties, including Ndamira, Cyerekezo, Kazeneza, Seka, Gisubizo, Twigire, Jyambere, Ndeze, Nkunganire, among others, are characterized by their high yields, resistance to pests and diseases, drought resilience, and superior cooking and processing attributes.
Despite the significant advantages these new varieties offer, their uptake by local farmers has been limited. To address this, CIP and RAB have partnered with seed potato companies and are leveraging the Great Lakes Accelerated Innovation Delivery Initiative, Rapid Delivery Hub (AID-I GLR), a USAID-FtF funded project managed by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). This collaboration aims to expedite the adoption of these new potato varieties within the Rwandan farming community.
Source: cipotato.org