Aligned with the need to further leverage science for food production, the state-owned micro, small, and medium-sized enterprise Semillas Biotecnológicas Ciego de Ávila (Sebioca S.U.R.L.) has initiated a process to obtain high-quality potato seeds.
Alina Martínez Rivero, Quality Specialist at this entity – vital for the agricultural development of the province hosting this year’s central activities for 26 July – informed the Cuban News Agency that this initiative forms part of a programme aimed at promoting cultivation of this in-demand tuber through qualitatively superior seeds, competitive and adaptable to growing conditions across Cuba’s regions.
She noted that using in vitro plantlets is an ideal approach, given its proven efficacy with other crops like plantain, sweet potato, cassava, and taro – areas where Sebioca S.U.R.L.’s team holds substantial expertise.
«We are in the initial phase of multiplying genetic material to obtain in vitro plantlets, which will subsequently generate micro-tubers for use by seed enterprises,» the specialist clarified.
Martínez Rivero emphasised this marks their first venture into potato seed production, describing it as highly complex due to procedural specificities, the tuber’s fragility, and precise laboratory propagation requirements.
«We modified our work chamber to maintain temperatures between 16–18°C, with specific lighting and humidity parameters,» she revealed.
Pursuing quality and effectiveness has required studying other Cuban biofactories’ experiences with this crop and ongoing staff training to ensure farmer-accepted outputs.
Sebioca S.U.R.L., a distinguished state-owned SME in Ciego de Ávila, employs science to boost agricultural development. This new management approach facilitates resource access for biofactory research and production while improving working/living conditions for staff.
Its history in agricultural applied sciences dates to its founding on 13 August 1992, consistently contributing to projects expanding food varieties for the population.
