Four new Irish potato varieties developed by the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) are now ready for distribution to farmers following successful testing and approval. The varieties—NAROPOT 7, NAROPOT 8, NAROPOT 9 and NAROPOT 10—were approved and released for multiplication in March 2025 after completing the required tests.
Dr Prossy Namugga, a Principal Research Officer and Plant Breeder at the Kachwekano Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute (KaZARDI), said the varieties offer several advantages over existing varieties, including NAROPOT 4 and NAROPOT 5.
Namugga said the new varieties are resistant to diseases such as late blight and can tolerate harsh weather conditions. They are also early-maturing, taking between 90 and 100 days to mature, compared with some existing varieties that take four months or longer.
She said the varieties have a yield potential of between 30 and 30.2 tonnes per hectare under large-scale farming. Under small-scale farming, Namugga said farmers can harvest between 800 and 1,000 kilogrammes from every 100 kilogrammes of seed planted.
The varieties have also undergone consumer testing, including tests for chips at Café Javas and crisps at Psalms Food Industries Limited in Kampala. Namugga said palatability tests also produced promising results. She said the tests were conducted before the varieties were advanced for wider distribution to farmers.
Jerome Kubiliba, Director of Research at KaZARDI, said the varieties can perform well under different soil and climatic conditions, including lowland and hilly areas of Kigezi, Elgon and Rwenzori. Kubiliba said the varieties can produce good yields with reduced reliance on fertilisers and chemical spraying, potentially helping farmers lower production costs.
He said the new varieties could particularly benefit farmers in Kigezi, where land fragmentation and soil erosion have contributed to declining agricultural productivity. Kubiliba said the prevailing potato prices also present an opportunity for farmers, with a 100-kilogramme bag currently selling for about Shs200,000.
He said continued breeding of improved varieties would increase the availability of quality seed and help meet the growing demand for potato planting materials. Kubiliba also said the initiative could help address concerns raised by a 2022 study by researchers under the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM), which indicated that potato production in the Kigezi region had declined from about seven tonnes to four tonnes per hectare. The decline was attributed partly to diseases, including bacterial wilt and tuber moth.
Farmers have welcomed the release of the new varieties, saying they could help address the shortage of clean and quality potato seed. Fideli Kamali, a farmer from Gatete Village in Chahafi Town Council and chairperson of the Kisoro District Potato Growers Cooperative Society Union, and Betty Tweheyo, a farmer from Karubanda Village in Nyakasiru Parish, Bukinda Sub-county, Rukiga District, said improved access to quality planting materials would boost potato production.
Stephen Tindimubona, a farmer from Kamuziza in Kashambya Sub-county, Rukiga District, and a member of the Uganda National Seed Potato Producers Association, said he has been involved in the potato seed system since 1995. Tindimubona said the development of improved varieties had been a longstanding challenge but that the new varieties offered farmers renewed hope because of their short dormancy period of about two months.
He said this could allow farmers to plant the varieties twice a year, unlike some existing varieties whose longer dormancy periods limit farmers to one planting season.
Frank Mugabi, Senior Communications Officer at NARO, said the organisation embarked on breeding the varieties in response to growing demand for potatoes driven by urbanisation and the increasing youth population seeking quick and convenient foods such as chips and crisps.
Mugabi said NARO is optimistic that the new varieties will contribute to increased food security while also creating opportunities for farmers and processors-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
