Yemi Kosoko in Jos
Plateau State took a decisive step toward transforming its agricultural economy as Governor Caleb Mutfwang on Friday commissioned the Potato Value Chain Project, a state‑of‑the‑art Tissue Culture Centre, and a wide range of farming equipment in Mangu.
The event marked what officials described as a “new era” for potato production one aimed at turning the state into a global reference point for high‑quality, processed potato products.
Governor Mutfwang, speaking at the commissioning, said the project’s revival symbolised a dramatic turnaround from what he met on assumption of office.
“By the time we came on board, what was happening was a disaster, but today is a story of recovery… a story of putting round pegs in round holes,” he said.
He noted that the project, initiated in 2017, had nearly been abandoned before his administration intervened.
The governor emphasised the potato value chain goes far beyond harvesting and selling raw tubers. He explained that Plateau would now focus on processing, producing chips, flakes, and other derivatives while strengthening transportation and market systems.
He added that major hotels in Nigeria would no longer rely on imported potatoes, declaring: “This is the beginning of the end of that story.”
Mutfwang also announced that Plateau would begin feeding school children with locally processed potatoes as part of a revamped school feeding programme.
He described the initiative as a foundation for prosperity, stressing that true legacy projects are measured by improved welfare and purchasing power for citizens, not physical structures.
The governor urged farmers to embrace modern farming practices, including the use of tractors, planters, and improved seed varieties.
“The secret of agriculture is seed,” he said, adding that the state would no longer tolerate outdated methods that lead to disease‑ridden harvests and losses.
He praised communities that donated land for the project, calling their gesture a sacrifice for the collective good.
Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Samson Bugama, described the commissioning as the dawn of a “plateau potato revolution.” He said the Tissue Culture Lab would serve as the nucleus for developing clean, disease‑free seed varieties and preserving indigenous strains.
The facility, he noted, is complemented by a training centre and a processing plant designed to add value to production.
Bugama said the entire value chain programme was structured to make potato a flagship crop for Plateau State, positioning it competitively on the global stage.
Project Coordinator Jerry Gushop, visibly emotional, said he was “the happiest person” at the event.
He paid tribute to Governor Mutfwang for entrusting him with the project, noting the team achieved in one year what had not been accomplished in the previous eight. “It was never just a job; it was a calling,” he said.
Gushop outlined key achievements of the project, including establishment of a modern tissue culture laboratory for clean seed production, construction of 118.4 km of rural roads and culverts, development of nine community markets and nine diffuse light stores, installation of 17 spring captures, 22 water harvesting structures, and 500 irrigation systems, the establishment of three processing plants in Mangu, Bokkos, and Barkin Ladi and training of hundreds of farmers on preservation, seed selection, processing, packaging, and best practices
He said these interventions had changed lives, empowered mothers, inspired youth, and restored confidence in government.
As the project enters its next phase, Governor Mutfwang expressed optimism that Plateau’s potato story would be transformed within three to five years. “If we don’t produce what we need, we will continue to be a nation of beggars,” he said, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to shifting Nigeria from consumption to production.
The commissioning ended with renewed calls for unity, hard work, and sustained commitment to the state’s green revolution agenda an effort officials say will echo across generations.
