Daily Monitor
Saturday March 06 2021
Cakes and chapattis made out of bio-fortified orange fleshed sweet potatoes on display at a farmers’ field day. PHOTOs/Michael J Ssali
Summary
Joseph Kasekende who is now recognised orange fleshed bio-fortified sweet potato vines multiplier in the entire region takes credit for introducing bio-fortified orange fleshed sweet potatoes in the area.
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Growing bio-fortified orange fleshed sweet potatoes is a major source of income and nutritional food for scores of households in Binyonyi Village, Kalisizo Rural Sub-county, Kyotera District and even beyond.
Ms Justine Ssenyomo, chairperson of Good Life, a women’s group of farmers that grow bio-fortified orange fleshed sweet potatoes at Binyonyi and the neighbouring villages, said since 2017 untill early last year when Covid-19 broke out, the group members have been earning money every week by selling the potatoes to schools and to an exporter who took them to Dubai. Ssenyomo further told Seeds of Gold, “The exporter bought two metric tonnes every week and the schools suppliers would buy whatever quantity that was available and whatever size of potatoes. The exporter as a rule bought only potatoes that weighed between 250 and 800 grammes. However due to Covid-19 she has not been exporting any potatoes to Dubai, UAE and the schools have not yet fully reopened.”