Samoa launches new taro export varieties

Samoa has come a long way since the taro leaf blight disaster in 1993, achieving another milestone this week by launching three new taro varieties during the Samoa Agriculture Show. The launch of the new varieties supports the taro export industry in meeting market demand for pink taro in New Zealand and further afield. The new varieties named Talo Tanu, Talo Fusi and Talo Lani were selected from Tanumalala, Fusi and Salani villages after consultation between farmers, Samoa’s Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF) and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), using a participatory approach which involved farmers in selecting varieties in terms of taste and yield. “Over 20,000 taro planting materials are produced for the taro launching so that farmers, the private sector, cabinet and senior officials receive enough taro planting material for further planting in their taro patches,” MAF’s Assistant Chief Executive Officer in the Nuu Crops Division, Misa Konelio, said.

Read more: http://www.spc.int/en/media-releases/2264-samoa-launches-new-taro-export...