CIP’s USD 20 Million India Regional Center Plans in Final Stages

The plans for the International Potato Center (CIP) to set up a research center India called CIP-South Asia Regional Center (CIP-SARC) are in the final stages. 

CIP-SARC is expected to come up at Agra in Uttar Pradesh, which is the largest potato-producing state in India.

The CIP India center will serve potato farmers in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, and South Asian countries including Bangladesh, which is a major potato-producing nation, producing around 11 million potatoes annually.

The focus of CIP’s research center in India will be to develop climate-resilient, disease-free potato and sweetpotato varieties. Based in Lima, Peru, CIP maintains research operations across over 20 countries spanning Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Negotiations between CIP and the Indian government have been completed. The project will cost USD 20 million which the Indian Agriculture Ministry will contribute USD 13 million. The Uttar Pradesh government will provide 10 hectares for setting up CIP-SARC.

The proposal is now on the Indian Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare’s 100-day agenda. As India is undergoing national elections which will culminate with counting of votes and results declared on June 4, it is expected that the new government will approve the proposal formally, setting in motion the establishment of CIP-SARC, report in the Indian Express said.

CIP-SARC will be the second international agricultural research institute after the Philippines-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) partnership with the Indian Agriculture Ministry set up IRRI-SARC in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, in 2018.

India has separate potato research centers for potato and sweetpotato under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) — ICAR-Central Potato Research Institute (ICAR-CPRI) at Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, and ICAR-Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (ICAR-CTCRI).

India is the second-largest potato producer and consumer after China. India’s neighbor China, which is also the largest potato producer and consumer, has a CIP regional research center — International Potato Center-China Center for Asia Pacific (CCCAP) — set up in 2017. 

The collaboration between CIP and ICAR dates back nearly five decades shaping the trajectory of agricultural research and development in India. Since 1975 over 1,100 potato clones have been shared with India, facilitating advancements in potato cultivation and breeding. 

Notably, the Indian government has released nine potato varieties developed in collaboration with CIP over the past two decades. Among these, Kufri Chipsona-1 and Kufri Chipsona-3 have emerged as vital varieties for the processed potato sector, cultivated on over 150,000 hectares across the country.