A webinar scheduled on September 28, 2021 will be a venue to discuss potato seed production technologies in Southeast Asia, with focus on the Philippines and Vietnam. Challenges and opportunities in the potato industry will also be discussed by research experts.
The webinar, “Potato Seed Production Technology in Southeast Asia – with special focus on Vietnam and Philippines” is organized by the International Potato Center (CIP), CGIAR Research program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), and the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD). It will be held via Zoom.
According to CIP, the demand for potatoes and potato products is rapidly increasing in Southeast Asia. Despite the demand, farmers treat potato farming as a high-input and high-risk crop due to diseases and extreme climate changes such as drought and typhoons. Aside from the high price of seeds, another constraint experienced by farmers is the existing informal seed production system which produces poor quality of seeds and affects their production.
Sourcing of seeds is another matter, as the Philippines sources seeds differently from Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam. The Philippines does not allow importation of potato tubers due to phytosanitary concerns while the three other mentioned countries import certified seeds.
Included in the discussion in the webinar are the following: the changing demand for potato seeds in the region; current potato seed production technologies in practice; role of women and youth in the potato seed supply chain, and ways to upgrade the seed supply chain and make it affordable for farmers.
Seven experts on potato production technologies will be part of the webinar. They are: Dr. Sampriti Baruah, CIP Asia Project Coordinator; Dr. Reynaldo V. Ebora, DOST-PCAARRD Executive Director; Dr. Samarendu Mohanty, CIP Asia Regional Director; Ms. Cynthia G. Kiswa, Northern Philippines Root Crops Research and Training Center Benguet State University (NPRCRTC-BSU) Director; Dr. Chien Dao Huy, CIP-Vietnam Consultant; Dr. Allan B. Siano, Officer-in-Charge of the Crops Research Division of DOST-PCAARRD, and Dr. Peter Vander Zaag, World Potato Congress Director and Sunrise Potato Systems Institute President.
Participants can register at https://tinyurl.com/Sept28CIPwebinar to join the Zoom-only event.