Agriculture and Forestry Minister Mitch Murphy today announced that the first-ever course to be offered on-line by the World Potato Learning Centre, the training division of Solanum PEI, has been inaugurated. The training course, on the history and current trends of potato production and the economic benefits of potato seed quality, is being delivered to a group of agronomists in South Africa who have expressed a need for state-of-the art, potato-related information to better serve their clients. Representatives from two Prince Edward Island potato companies have also enrolled in the on-line course.
The course was developed by the World Potato Learning Centre in conjunction with Holland College. This is also the first-ever international offering by Holland College.
"This opens up tremendous opportunities for Prince Edward Island to market, not only seed and tablestock potatoes, but also the skills, knowledge and technologies we use to produce them to countries around the world who are looking for good information on how to manage a potato system," said Mr. Murphy. "At the same time, I also see a distinct opportunity for my department to work closely with potato producers in Prince Edward Island in utilizing today's technology to open new doors and improve information delivery directly to them by the Internet."
John MacQuarrie, President of Solanum PEI and the course manager, said this course is a pilot for future courses which can be customized for delivery on-line, or through face-to-face training in Prince Edward Island or other countries.
"There is no reason that Prince Edward Island can not be seen as one of the world's greatest sources of potato solutions," said Mr. MacQuarrie. "It is clear that with the advent of new technology, many countries are seeking to develop their own sustainable food production systems and in many cases they will not buy a potato product yet they will invest in learning and acquisition of technology." He said they are willing to pay for quality training, and that opens up new opportunities for local people to sell their knowledge, products and services.
David Fouche, a spokesperson for the South African fertilizer company whose agronomists have paid for the training course, says they welcome the opportunity to learn more about the economics of seed production systems from the World Potato Learning Centre. "It's really great to work with a team like Solanum PEI," he told MacQuarrie.