Challenges and opportunities of seed potato production in south Western Uganda

The potato crop has the potential to greatly contribute to the income and food security of Ugandans, but the yields have remained low at 7.5 t ha-1. The low yields have been attributed to the use of poor quality seed potato recycled from previous harvests or bought from the ware potato market. This study was, therefore, undertaken to establish the challenges and opportunities of seed potato production in South Western Uganda. Data were collected from 160 respondents in Kabale and Kanungu districts using both focus group discussions and 11 key informant interviews. This was later analyzed using content analysis. The findings indicated that a limited supply of quality seed potato, insufficient land, limited supply of good quality inputs, weather vagaries, pests and diseases, and poor storage were key challenges limiting seed potato production. Overall, limited access to quality seed potatoes remains a key issue and it stems from the limited supply of seed potato produced by KAZARDI and the high cost of good quality seeds. It is for these reasons that the majority of farmers still use their farmer saved seed and seed from the ware market, whose quality is not guaranteed. It was, however, found out that several opportunities exist for the production of seed potato. These include; technologies for producing quality seed potatoes, NGOs' support of seed production, expansion of infrastructure at KAZARDI, upcoming bylaws, and ready demand for seed potato and ware potato. It is thus recommended that increasing production capacity at KAZARDI along with strengthening farmer institutional capacity through the formation of farmer groups and training them in community seed production, plus good farming practices together with favorable seed policy and bylaws would promote production and supply of quality seed potato. This in turn would enhance farmer income and food security status. Keywords: Production constraints, seed potato, seed system, Solanum tuberosum, Uganda