Prime Minister Narendra Modi Introduces Three Innovative Potato Varieties Among 109 New Crop Strains

Signifying a major agricultural push, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled 109 new crop varieties, including three potato varieties, on August 11. These are high-yielding, climate-resistant, bio-fortified crop varieties whose seeds will be available to farmers within three years. 

Kufri Chipsona -5, Kufri Bhaskar, and Kufri Jamunia are the three new potato varieties. These new potato varieties have been developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research's (ICAR) Central Potato Research Institute (CPRI). Potato varieties developed by ICAR-CPRI account for more than 94% of the total potato area in India. Kufri Chipsona -5 is a processing variety, while Kufri Bhaskar is primed for cultivation in warmer regions.

Kufri Jamunia is a table variety marked by its stark purple skin and flesh. The ICAR CPRI Vision 2050 targets to achieve an annual production of 125 million tons of potatoes by 2050. The agricultural planners aim to achieve this target by increased plantation area, increased productivity, and increased resilience to climate change. The newly-introduced potato varieties have been under development since 2015.

They are high-yield varieties with good storability. Farmers of processing varieties, whose demand is growing rapidly, both domestically and for export markets, will find Kufri Chipsona-5 a new alternative. Kufri Bhaskar, which can be cultivated in warmer areas, can tap additional land for potato cultivation. Kufri Jamunia is a table variety of potato with the potential to be used in dehydrated form as dalia, suji, and flour, finding a broader application in Indian kitchens.

The ICAR-CPRI press release about Kufri Bhaskar mentions that high temperatures in India not only impact the early-season potato crop in the north-western plains but are also likely to affect the main-season crop in the central and eastern plains. To address or mitigate the impact of these environmental stresses, resilient potato genotypes may help achieve future production goals. 

India is the second-largest potato producer in the world, but it processes only about 10% of potatoes compared to more than 50% of potatoes in Europe and the US. Kufri Chipsona-5 is a new potato variety developed to offer a new choice in the cultivation of processing potatoes.

Kufri Bhaskar is a new potato variety with increased tolerance to high temperatures. It has been developed to tap agricultural farms in warmer areas for potato cultivation.

Narendra Modi stated that the government is committed to empowering farmers. He mentioned that 109 new crop varieties were released in Delhi, which are climate-resilient and high-yielding. These varieties are expected to increase production and boost farm

Kufri Bhaskar is an early-medium maturing (80-90 days), high-yielding 30-35 tons per hectare) variety. It is suitable for cultivation in the Northern and Central plains and early-season planting in Uttar Pradesh. Kufri Bhaskar has an attractive white-cream look with cream flesh and an ovoid shape. Its dry matter content is 19%, and the keeping quality is good. Kufri Chipsona-5 is a medium-maturing (90-100 days) and high-yielding (35 tons per hectare) clone variety developed for processing use.

It has high tuber dry matter (21%), reduced sugar levels (60-75 mg per 100 grams), and a high chip color score (3). Kufri Chipsona produces white cream, ovoid tubers with creamy flesh. It has very good storability under ambient storage conditions and is moderately resistant to late blight (AUDPC 487). Kufri Jamunia is a purple-fleshed potato variety rich in anthocyanins and antioxidants.

It contains 52 mg vitamin C, 32 mg anthocyanins, and 163 ug carotenoids per 100 gram fresh tuber weight in flesh. Kufri Jamunia is a medium maturing variety (90-100 days) that produces dark purple oblong tubers with shallow eyes and purple flesh. It produces 32-35 tons per hectare (10-12 tubers per plant). It possesses 17-19% tuber dry matter. Kufri Jaminia has medium dormancy and good keeping qualities. It has a good taste and a mealy texture, making it suitable for table variety.