The new method was adopted from Israel and the United States of America.
A farmer gets the most out of a single plant and can harvest a maximum of 30 kilogrammes of potatoes from a single plant.The method was only introduced in Zimbabwe early this year but many people joined the project two months ago after watching the project pioneers hit the “gold mine”.
The plants are grown in 90kg sacks which are filled with soil up to 25 centimetres.
More soil is added as the plant grows and the leaves mature while more potatoes are produced.
Ordinary potatoes take about three months to mature while those grown in sacks require four months.
“Using this system is an advantage for the farmers as moisture introduced to a plant stays for longer. The case is the same when one applies fertilisers to the crops while nothing is lost into the ground,” said Simola Chidhakwa, a 52-year-old mother of five who has 112 plants of her own.
“Disease control is much easier. No worm will move from one sack to the next and this results in the production of good quality tubers.”
Space constraints are not much of a challenge as long as the sacks are lined up properly.
A 15kg pocket of potatoes is fetching around US$12 to US$15 on the local market.
A survey at Mbare Musika also showed that there is a huge demand for potatoes in the country.
The tuber is one of the most widely grown perennial crops and one of the cheapest staple food items for people all over the world.
The plant grows about 12 to 18 inches in length and bears many tubers underground.
The plants are grown in 90kg sacks which are filled with soil up to 25 centimetres.
More soil is added as the plant grows and the leaves mature while more potatoes are produced.
Ordinary potatoes take about three months to mature while those grown in sacks require four months.
“Using this system is an advantage for the farmers as moisture introduced to a plant stays for longer. The case is the same when one applies fertilisers to the crops while nothing is lost into the ground,” said Simola Chidhakwa, a 52-year-old mother of five who has 112 plants of her own.
“Disease control is much easier. No worm will move from one sack to the next and this results in the production of good quality tubers.”
Space constraints are not much of a challenge as long as the sacks are lined up properly.
A 15kg pocket of potatoes is fetching around US$12 to US$15 on the local market.
A survey at Mbare Musika also showed that there is a huge demand for potatoes in the country.
The tuber is one of the most widely grown perennial crops and one of the cheapest staple food items for people all over the world.
The plant grows about 12 to 18 inches in length and bears many tubers underground.
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