According to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Nigeria, Mustafa Baba Shekhuri, the country will become one of the top three potato producing countries by 2025.
Now Nigeria is the leader in the production of sweet potatoes and cassava in Africa and ranks 7th in the production of potatoes.
The ministry identified the problems that the country's producers face when growing potatoes: low-quality seeds, a high infectious background, an outdated storage system and insufficient mechanization. Problems need to be addressed at both the federal and state levels.
To address problems with seed quality, it is planned to establish an agricultural center at the National Root Research Institute (NRCRI) in Jos. It is planned to create an irrigation system on an area of 20 hectares for seed production, as well as the construction of a cold store.
Shekhuri highlighted the efforts of potato producing states such as Adamawa, Kano, Kaduna, Cross River and others.
Note that in the ranking of world potato producers, Nigeria still occupies 35th place, with a capacity of 1,4 million tons.