The new Taiwan-funded potato and fruit tree production facility will cut down Swaziland’s food imports by 50 to 55 percent, APA reports on Monday. The fruit tree project focusing on banana and papaya will help 140 farmers produce over 3 500 tonnes of fruit estimated at $100 million per year, according to Taiwanese Ambassador Thomas Chen.
We hope there will be enough potato seed to plant 300 hectares of land that will be consumed by the public, says the ambassador.
Agriculture Minister Moses Vilakati says the facility is capable of generating 60 000 tonnes of produce per day, citing this as an example of advancement that will take the country to its vision of attaining First World status by 2022.
