‘Potato farming is good business’

Mrs. Mallo, who said that she had spent over 30 years in potato farming, elaborated the stages of both rainy and dry season potato planting, harvesting and marketing of the product. Mrs. Mallo said, “The first stage is for a farmer to clear the land and start making ridges. You can go straight ahead to […]

Mrs. Mallo, who said that she had spent over 30 years in potato farming, elaborated the stages of both rainy and dry season potato planting, harvesting and marketing of the product.
Mrs. Mallo said, “The first stage is for a farmer to clear the land and start making ridges. You can go straight ahead to the planting of the crop. The farmer needs to dig a hole of about one foot before laying the seed. You need to put one piece of the potato seed in the ground and close the hole. The farmer also needs to mix the soil with local manure on the same day and allow the rain to fall on the farm.”
Mallo said it takes between ten to fourteen days for the potato seed to germinate and appear. “When the plant appears and starts growing, at least within one or two weeks of the plant’s appearing, you can prepare and apply your fertilizer. After applying fertilizer, you observe the farm and remove the weed either with a small hoe or by using anti-weed chemicals in order to rid the plant of weed,” she explained.
The next stage after sowing potatoes is what she called Ban-kasa or ‘Shurbe’ that is adding of sand in a ridge form on the edge of the plant, so that water would not wash away the crop. The idea of this Ban-kasa is for the crop to have lots of tubers and to also help the potatoes grow in bigger sizes.
The next stage is the harvesting of the crop which ranges from two months and three weeks or at least 13 to 14 weeks. Mrs. Mallo said, “There are two types of potatoes. The first variety is the one that grows flowers before it matures and the second that does not have flowers. Whenever you observe the flower plunging down and the leaves turning yellow, that is the sign of maturity and for the second type, you’ll notice the leaves turning yellow.
“Here you need to have your small hoe; you grasp the head of the plant and dig to remove from the edge of the plant; as you pull out the plant, you will see the potato which you take away as your harvest,” she said.
There are differences between rainy and dry season potato farming. First, in the dry season farming, ridges are done in such a way that water can flow across the farm, not like that of rainy season. Another difference is that one needs to mix the soil with manure before you make your ridges and plantation. You need to create water channels where water can flow within the farm.
She further explained, “We use a small container or bucket to water the plants. We water the plants twice a week and when it reaches eight to ten weeks you stop watering.” While in some farms, farmers design water ways, especially those who are buoyant, employing water pump system in irrigating potato farms.
“After harvesting the produce, we take them home and keep in an empty room, well ventilated on the ground but not on a cemented floor, but in a room where there is sand on the ground. You need to supervise the produce every week. If anyone gets bad, you remove it, the idea being to preserve the crop for three or four months for future use.  We usually collect potatoes, especially good, smaller pieces of the produce which we use as seed for subsequent farming.”
Potato farming has its challenges, including diseases which affect the crop. Mallo said, “The potato leaves dry up when it is diseased but the leaves of the healthy ones still look fresh even when it matures, just that the leaves turn yellow. Another challenge that affects potato is cold. When the soil becomes so wet for a long time, it also affects the crop. What potatoes need is moderate water and fertilizer but when the crop does not get those conditions, the size of the produce is smaller.”
“Another challenge affecting potato farming in Plateau State is the insecurity problems especially the clashes between farmers and herders. Whenever there is a fracas between them, the herders destroy the entire farmland or uproot the crops. Also, when there is tension, you cannot go to the farmland for safety sake.”
Mrs. Mallo explained the benefits of potato farming to her, saying, “We benefit immensely from potato farming because it has been the means of livelihood for our entire family. I built the house we are living in from proceeds from potato farming.  I pay my children’s school fees from potato farming and business. Potato has been everything to my life. I started the farming 30 years ago but right now I am farming the crop and also selling. Initially, I only farm and sell to traders in my village. Later, I began to farm and sell. I also buy from other farmers in our area. I am into potato business and many of my colleagues have joined. Potato business is a good venture.”
Mrs. Mallo, who appealed for the intervention of government in potato farming, said, “Potato farming has great potential in the development of people of the state and the nation’s economy. Governments at all levels need to invest in the farming of potatoes because its farming is simple as even an ordinary person can do it with meager resources; it can also be farmed in large scales at any season. What we need from the government is the construction of dams for irrigation and provision of fertilizer to the farmers. We also need the government to come up with plans that would end the clashes between farmers and herders in the state so that farming as well as cattle rearing can prosper and permanent peace could reign.”   
“If Plateau State government can genuinely invest in potato farming by providing loans, fertilizer and other necessary support for the farmers, it will go a long way in transforming the economic wellbeing of the state. First, it will reduce poverty and unemployment by providing job opportunities for youths and women. It will redeem the image of the state as not only the home of peace and tourism but also an agricultural hub.  I am optimistic that with government support, it will boost the economy of the state and play a vital role in consolidating the peace process on the Plateau.”
A potato trader at Yandoya Market in Jos, Mallam Auwal Yusuf, said that potato is not only a food item but serves as medication as well. Yusuf said, “The demand for potatoes these days is high because the end users have increased. Sick people especially diabetic patients now consume it as part of medication to control the illness. For this group of people the intake of potato is not for enjoyment but rather medicinal, that is why even when the prices skyrocket, the produce still moves in the market.”
Yusuf spoke about seasonal price changes, explaining, “Potato has seasons that affect its prices in the market, from January to March the prices range from N6000 to N7000 per 50 kg bag but from April to July it sells at N15 000 to N18 000 per 50 kg bag. When the price rises, it becomes a big man’s food and only privileged people can afford it. Some people prepare potatoes as prestigious gift and they buy the produce and give as gift to their friends and relatives.”
Yusuf further spoke on presenting potatoes as gift and said that many people on transit buy potato and present as gift, citing example with one of his customers who asked him to keep 20 bags which he intends to present to a former president of the country. Narrating his story, he said, “One of my customers called on phone and asked me to keep 20 bags. After the transaction and subsequent visit, the man came back and told me that he bought three cows and the twenty bags of potato and presented it as a gift. Immediately, in his presence, the former president ordered that the three cows be taken to the less privileged in the town while he ordered his aides to take the potatoes inside his house. He really appreciated the gifts, especially the potatoes.”
He added that the demand for potatoes increases during festivities like Ramadan, Sallah celebrations, Christmas and New Year celebrations.
Yusuf asserted that selling potatoes is a good venture, though they sometimes encounter difficulties that lead to losses especially during rainy season. He said, “We are faced with most of the challenges from August to September. If one piece of potato spoils, it can affect the entire bag because the rainy season ones release poisonous water that easily destroys the whole bag. Another challenge we face in the business is the switch from one season to another. When the rainy season potato enters the market and the dry season is still in stock, it leads to great losses because in most situations, before the dry season ones finish, it usually ends in high prices and when that of the rainy season comes out in lower prices, we are forced to sell the old ones at a loss, but the dry season potato lasts longer in good condition.”