By: Mortimer Yangharry
Provincial Foods Crops Officer attached with the Enga Provincial Government Ms Davinah Lepatu Apupuni has secured several new varieties of sweet potatoe vines which will be trialed in certain parts of Enga Province to see if they are resilient to the effects of climate change.
She recently visited the National Agriculture Research Institute (NARI) in Eastern Highlands Province as part of the Aiyura Climate Change Resileince Program where she will be able to bring the different breeds of sweet potatoe to trial in Enga Province.
Apupuni has made several harvests of assorted clean planting and drought tolerant, early maturing sweet potato vines variety at the NARI to trial it out at her model sites in Kandep, Rakamanda in Wabag District and certain parts of the newly created Paiela-Pogera District.
The trial sites in Enga Province were identified as drought and frost high risk areas where the trialing of these sweet potatoe varieties will be planted accordingly.
Apupuni is closely working in partnership with the National Agriculture Reseqrch Institute with assistance from the National Weather Service to ensure the trial of these introduced sweet potato breeds adapt and grow well in Enga Province.
