News on Potato Cultivation from India

Siddhi Vinayak Agri Processing Pvt Ltd (SV Agri) recently spearheaded a pivotal stakeholder consultation workshop on May 15 and 16, 2024.

While the potato production was less this year, the heatwave made transportation a nightmare, with the supply rotting during the transit.

In a first of its kind initiative by any food processor on the Indian subcontinent, the biggest potato processor from the country, Iscon Balaji Foods, has organised a month-long exhaustive farmers’ training programme to share the best agricultural practices for sustainability in the value chain.

Potato prices in India have increased nearly 50% in a month from March to April.

A groundbreaking wind-operated aerial insect trap designed to revolutionize pest management in agriculture has been developed by a team of scientists at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Potato Research Institute (ICAR-CPRI) in Shimla.

One of them is in the middle of his career. The other is already retired. Both are embarking on a new adventure. In a country that is a feast for the eyes, but where they are even more impressed by the openness of the people.

SV Agri organized its Annual Variety and Seed Farm Show from January 8th to 10th, featuring the display of 14 new potato varieties.

The Agriculture department of Government of West Bengal has started potato cultivation with Apical Rooted Cutting (ARC) process at the Centre of Floriculture and Agri-Business Management (COFAM) department of the University of North Bengal in Siliguri.

Zero tillage not only boosts soil fertility and raises carbon stocks but also prolongs the potato growing season by harnessing the residual moisture after the rice harvest.

In a full-blown attack by the disease late blight, more than 50% potato crop in the fields has suffered extensive damage, leading to heavy losses for the farmers who had opted for diversification instead of growing wheat after paddy.

High-altitude areas of district Ramban like Gool, Mahu Mangit and Sanasar could become major potato seed producer areas and make the local farmers self-sufficient.

The potato, a humble yet indispensable vegetable, holds a special place in the hearts of millions worldwide. As one of the most widely consumed staple crops, it plays a vital role in global food security

(Indo-)Dutch companies providing solutions from planting material to processing equipment believe there are ways to establish more sustainable value chains, with the help of their technologies.

India which is the second-largest producer of potatoes in the world has witnessed a bumper crop in the November–February harvest. And, the farmers are not quite happy with this as the oversupply has brought down the prices, making farmers incur losses.

Planting of potatoes for processing in North Gujarat was completed by November 2022. Harvest is to begin around February 20, 2023, and production is expected to be 1.9M tons.

Potato farmers in the northern parts of the country have suffered heavy crop losses due to ground frost owing to the fall in temperatures in the last week.

A new trend has emerged in the Indian State of Haryana, with many potato farmers venturing into the seed potato production business. They even have had contracts from big private players such as McCain and Siddhi Vinayak

Siddhi Vinayak Agri Processing Private Limited has signed MOU with farmers collectives which are supported under the World Bank and Govt of Assam seeded project for rural transformation named APART.