The potato is one of Rwanda’s most important crops, yet Rwandan farmers struggle to produce decent harvests, primarily because they grow low-yielding and disease-susceptible potato varieties. That will soon begin to change, as Rwandan authorities are preparing to release five new varieties with higher yield potential and greater resistance to late blight disease.
The new varieties will be the first released in Rwanda in almost 30 years. They are the product of a partnership between the International Potato Center (CIP) and the Rwanda Agricultural and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB), with collaboration from farmers, universities, cooperatives and food-processing companies.
