Sweet Potato An Alternative For Tobacco?

Source from:  BACHOK, May 20 (Bernama) 05/22/2006

Sweet potato cultivation on a commercial scale is a viable alternative for tobacco growers and curers. Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Dr Awang Adek Hussin said the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute's (Mardi) study in Telong here found the tuber has big potential in the health food and drink industry. Mardi's study also found that 25 tonnes of sweet potatoes can be derived from a hectare of land and can be marketed in Japan, Taiwan and South Korea, he told reporters after officiating the Farm Day programme and the seminar on Sweet Potato Planting Technology here Saturday. "With the available expertise of the tobacco entrepreneurs, they can cultivate the tuber and open processing plants," he said. The sweet potatoes can replace the tobacco especially when the latter is to face stiff competition due to the impending Asean Free Trade Area. Mardi already developed the technology to process the sweet potato into traditional snacks and crispies. At the event today, Dr Awang Adek also witnessed the modern technology used to plant the tuber within four hours per hectare compared to 10 days if done manually. Enditem