Potato stakeholders gather in Dhaka to discuss late blight resistant potato for Bangladesh
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EmailPotato stakeholders gather in Dhaka to discuss late blight resistant potato for Bangladesh.
Feed the Future Global Biotech Potato Partnership collaborator the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) along with support provided by Farming Future Bangladesh (FFB), held a stakeholder consultation event in Dhaka to provide a public update on project progress of the 3 R-gene late blight resistant potato in the local farmer preferred variety, Diamant.
The event was attended by key government officials as well as project personnel and potato value chain stakeholders including farmers and researchers.
Global Biotech Potato Partnership Project Director Dr. David Douches, Michigan State University, shared his presentation on the research development of the 3 R-gene late blight resistant potato highlighting that despite the significant economic benefits of potato in Bangladesh, the persistence of late blight disease still leads to substantial crop and income loss.
Dr. Abdullah Yousuf Akhond, Director of Research at BARI, shared his presentation on the status of potato research in Bangladesh noting that fungicides account for up to one-fourth of smallholder farmers potato production costs.
