The Department of Agricultural Research Services (Dars) in the Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with the International Potato Centre (CIP) announced that there are newly released varieties of potatoes, which have been cleared and approved for production and utilisation.

The new varieties, Mpatsa, Mtukulapakhomo, Ufulu and Kaso, have been produced under the five-year Root and Tuber Crops for Agricultural Transformation in Malawi (RTC Action) Project funded by Irish Aid and are hailed for having high yielding per unit area, early maturing and tolerance to major pests and diseases amid growing changes in climatic conditions.

Malawi is also under projects that will see new varieties of various legumes and cotton.