NARO develops new cassava varieties

LIRA-The National Agricultural Research Organisation [NARO] has developed two new cassava varieties that are resistant to drought and disease.

The varieties [NAROCAS 1 and NAROCAS 2], according to the director of Ngetta Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute [NZARDI] in Lira City, Dr. Laban Turyagyenda produce high yields.

“We are in the final stages of releasing the two varieties and we hope they will be friendly and attractive to the farmers because they are drought tolerant and mature between 8-10 months,” he said.

Turyagyenda said cassava brown streak disease and cassava mosaic have persisted as major constraints to cassava production in the country.

However, the new cassava varieties, Turyagyenda said, are disease-resistant and drought-tolerant, which should encourage farmers to grow them to boost food security and household incomes.

NARO`s principal research officer, Dr. Robert Kawuki while speaking to district agriculture officers in the Lango sub region said recently that has produced several cassava varieties.

He said they aimed at developing cassava cultivars that are competitive and able to be taken up by farmers who are already growing existing varieties.

He attributed the decline in cassava production in the country to factors such as disease, pests, drought, and low farmgate prices.

According to Kawuki the production declined from 2.09 million acres in 2019 to 1.26mln in 2020.

https://thecooperator.news/naro-official-urges-lango-cassava-farmers-to-form-cooperatives/

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