News on Potato Varieties and Seed from Asia

The potato harvest in Iraq has started. Staff of the Beirut Erbil Potato Processing Company (B.E.P.P. Co) - known in Iraq for their potato chips brands Mito and Mr, Krisper, but active throughout the entire potato supply chain - are working hard in various regions of Iraq from Karbala to Diyala to Al-Rabiah, Dohuk, Erbil, and beyond.

A new variety of potatoes named ‘Murovdag’ has begun to be grown in Azerbaijan, according to Elmar Allahverdiyev, director of the Research Institute of Vegetable Growing under the Ministry of Agriculture.

Dignitaries, researchers, and private sector representatives gathered this week in southwestern Georgia to celebrate the opening of a potato seed model farm.

New foreign varieties of potatoes are grown in Azerbaijan. Samir Verdiyev, a local farmer said he grows potatoes in six districts of the country, delivering only seeds of varieties to Azerbaijan.

Agrico's Phytophthora-resistant Next Generation varieties Carolus and Alouette are cultivated in Bangladesh. These varieties provide a solid foundation for a sustainable and healthy crop. Because of their natural resistance to Phytophthora, they have increased yield security with the least possible input. This results in an optimum return.

Pakistan is poised to become self-sufficient in potato seed by mid-2022. The country is going to start producing high-quality, virus-free, third-generation potato seed.

Potato cultivators in West Bengal were afraid they will face severe losses as the price of good quality seeds have skyrocketed even as the minimum support price (MSP) fixed has remained relatively low.

Central Potato Research Institute, (CPRI) Ooty in Tamil Nadu has developed two disease resistant potatoes - Kufri Sahyadri and Kufri Karan - hybrid varieties which at present showing promising results in improving yield by 25 per cent to 30 per cent at laboratory level.

Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC) has provided over 50,000 potato tubers to Agriculture Department of Gilgit Baltistan (Northern Areas) in order to promote disease free potato production.

Bangladesh is importing two blight resistant (GM) potato lines developed at Michigan State University for a field trial. Success will save 20% yield loss and Tk100C in fungicide cost.

How do Agrico seed potatoes find their way to Bangladesh? The journey starts with the sale of the seed potatoes.

Bangladesh targets potato production of over 4 million tons just for the Rangpur division

A new study published in Plant Pathology identifies for the first time the genotypes of P. infestans, causing late blight in the main potato-growing regions in Java, Indonesia.

Researchers of the International Potato Center (CIP) explain the difficulties small potato farmers in many states of India may face to access good-quality planting materials at affordable prices.

Bangladesh imports over 2,000 tons of seed potato from the Netherlands. Varieties include Diamond, Carolus, Margarita, Barcelona, and Accent.

Even as the State Potato Mission failed to take off due to the lack of direction and apathy of the government to the project, it has expressed it desire to revalidate the contract with the International Potato Centre (CIP) for intensification of potato production.

Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) will Produce Two Million Disease-Resistant Potato Potato Tubers Using Tissue Culture Technology

On August 18, 2020, a meeting was held in Zhaotong city, China. World Potato Congress (WPC) President Roman Cools, Dr. Peter VanderZaag, WPC Secretary and Brian Douglas, General Manager attended virtually.