Dutch government to help Punjab set up a Potato Centre of Excellence

To strengthen potato research, Punjab will set up a Centre of Excellence for Potato in Jalandhar (potato belt) in collaboration with The Netherlands, Shimla-based Central Potato Research Institute and Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, with a project cost of Rs 8 crore. Spread over 50 acres, the proposed centre would be fully operational in the next six-eight months and likely to prove as a milestone for the development of quality cultivation of potato in the state.

At the Fourth India International Potato Expo 2015, held in Chandigarh, Gurkanwal Singh, director - horticulture, said, "The Indo-Dutch Centre of Excellence for Potato, is being set up with the objective of developing advanced production and storage technologies for its growers of the state. We are going to focus on every aspect of potato farming right from development of seeds to post harvest. This collaboration will facilitate the flow of germplasm, including new varieties and advance hybrids. Besides development of new varieties, we will concentrate on best practices, mechanisation and will impart training to farmers in pre-harvest and post-harvest technologies by having a tie-up with various organisation, like farmers organisation like POSCON (Confederation of Potato Seed Farmers)."

The total area under potato cultivation is Punjab is 87,000 hectares and the total production is about 2.2 million tonnes. Punjab contributes almost 75 per cent of the total potato seed demand from India.