Farmers in Kenya are set to gain from the establishment of a new laboratory facility, valued at Ksh 260 million, aimed at enhancing agricultural productivity through the provision of clean planting materials. The Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS), in collaboration with the International Potato Centre (CIP) and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), will inaugurate the facility shortly, designed to reduce the time for testing and releasing new crop varieties to less than five years, a significant improvement over the current 10 to 13 years.
The facility, known as the Roots, Tubers and Bananas-East Africa Germplasm Exchange Laboratory (RTB-EAGEL), seeks to transform agricultural practices for roots, tubers, and bananas in East Africa by preserving genetic diversity critical for food security and sustainable development. The laboratory will facilitate the exchange of germplasm among CGIAR breeding programs and regional partners, aiming to enhance productivity through the expedited release of new varieties, pest and disease management, and the provision of nucleus quality seeds. According to Dr. Morag Ferguson, the project manager from IITA, the laboratory's primary goal is to enable the regional movement of planting materials, thereby allowing breeders to develop better varieties more efficiently.
Source: kenyanews.go.ke