Halting the collapse of potato production in the largest spud producing country in the world has led to a prestigious award for Sam Asiedu. This Canadian scientist from Truro was one of 50 scientists from 20 countries to be awarded the Friendship Award. It is the highest award handed out to foreign experts by the Chinese government.
Sam Asiedu was invited by the Canadian Executive Service Organization to go to China in 1997 to assist in solving a serious situation in the country’s potato industry.
Many in the country thought the problems with low yield was due to drought conditions. However, an investigation by Asiedu and his team from the Dryland Agroscientific Research and Extension Centre in Dingxi determined there were a number of problems including seed quality and diseases.
If nothing had been done “there would be no industry and the farmers would have remained poor,” Asiedu said. Today “the farmers are making a good living off the potato.”
Sam Asiedu was invited by the Canadian Executive Service Organization to go to China in 1997 to assist in solving a serious situation in the country’s potato industry.
Many in the country thought the problems with low yield was due to drought conditions. However, an investigation by Asiedu and his team from the Dryland Agroscientific Research and Extension Centre in Dingxi determined there were a number of problems including seed quality and diseases.
If nothing had been done “there would be no industry and the farmers would have remained poor,” Asiedu said. Today “the farmers are making a good living off the potato.”
