New joint venture of Agrico and S.V. Agri to offer high quality seed potatoes in India

Agrico, a world-renowned Dutch cooperative of more than 1,300 specialist potato growers, has agreed to set up a joint venture with Pune-based potato supply chain organization S.V. Agri to develop high-yield varieties uniquely suitable to India.

The new joint venture, named S.V. Agrico Pvt. Ltd., will produce high-grade basic seed material under controlled conditions. Agrico varieties, which are widely accepted across the world, are resistant to late blight. Their availability locally will help Indian farmers reduce usage of fungicide, allowing them to access more remunerative international markets for organic potatoes.

Potatoes are a superfood with enough nutrition to feed a growing world population. Since India does not allow imports of soil-grown seed potatoes from other countries, local multiplication under license is the only option for the country’s farmers to enjoy a potato revolution: higher yields and better prices.

The joint venture will provide the necessary infrastructure to bring Agrico varieties to the Indian market in a dedicated supply chain and based on local multiplication only.

The agreement, which was signed by Hemant Gaur and Jan van Hoogen, marks the culmination of a successful, seven-year partnership. Agrico and S.V. Agri started their technical co-operation in 2012.

Going forward, field multiplication and trade in seed potatoes developed by the joint venture will remain an exclusive right of S.V. Agri, the Indian partner.

Hemant Gaur:

“S.V. Agri will also learn world-class quality management of the seeds as well as objective quality assessment of the warehouse potato.”

“Over 400 years, Holland has perfected its potato technology. We want to bring benefit of that knowledge to our farmers.”

Jan Van Hoogen:

“Coming to India is a big step in building up the international Agrico network.”

“The ‘pieper’ — as we Dutch call it — is so much a part of our culture that one of our artists, Vincent Van Gogh, immortalized it in his masterpiece, The Potato Eaters.”