Rwanda approves 11 new potato varieties — its first refresh in 30 years

Rwanda has given its potato farmers their biggest varietal upgrade in a generation. The National Plant Variety List published in December 2025 added 11 new Irish potato varieties — names such as Cyerecyezo, Gisubizo, Kazeneza, Nkunganire and Ndamira — the first major update in nearly 30 years. Field trials show the new lines lifting yields by up to 40%, reaching 34 to 40 tonnes per hectare, with resistance to the late blight that plagues Rwanda's wet highlands.

The varieties land as output is already climbing. National potato production rose about 10.1% in 2025, with Season A alone reaching 475,785 tonnes, according to the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda's seasonal survey. The Virunga-highland districts of Nyabihu, Rubavu, Musanze and Burera remain the leading producers, while Nyamagabe, Karongi and Nyaruguru are expanding their acreage as the crop spreads.

Behind the gains is a steady rise in the use of improved seed. In the main season, about 37% of farmers used improved seed, up from roughly 18% previously, and the government is targeting 50% adoption in 2026. Irish potato is Rwanda's second most important food crop after banana, so seed quality translates directly into food security and farm incomes.

The persistent constraint is multiplying enough certified seed. Producing it takes at least four generations of multiplication over successive seasons, and cooperatives in Nyabihu and Musanze have struggled with shortages. Projects such as Kungahara, run by Kilimo Trust with EU funding, are building climate-resilient seed-multiplication greenhouses — each producing 16,000 minitubers that yield roughly 18.5 tonnes of certified seed — while Nyamagabe district aims to lift its high-quality seed output from 5,000 to 22,000 tonnes a year. The varieties are finally new; the race now is to put clean seed of them in farmers' hands.