Agra's potato goes global

Darpan Singh, Agra

After the Taj Mahal and ‘petha’, it’s now the turn of Agra’s potato to go global. Md. Mushtaq Shamshuddin, a Singapore-based company, has given an order for 500 metric tone potato to Agra’s Agritech International, Fatehabad. The export is being viewed as a major boost to potato cultivation in Uttar Pradesh with several big farmers welcoming the move.

The deal could be signed recently at Agra with help from the Central Potato Research Institute (CPRI), Shimla. Agra, the biggest potato producer in Uttar Pradesh, had sent ten verities of the crop to Singapore and its kufri sutlej and kufri bahar beat China’s Holland variety in sample tests. The entire consignment has to be sent to Singapore in three months’ time. Potato is the world's fourth important food crop after wheat, rice and maize owing to its great yield potential and high nutritive value and accounts for nearly half of the worlds annual output of all root and tuber crops.

With an annual global production of about 300 million tonnes, potato is an economically important staple crop in both developed and developing countries. India is ranked 5th in potato production after China, Russian Federation, Poland and Ukraine. However, potato productivity in India is merely 16-19 tonnes/ha vis-à-vis that of European countries and USA, i.e 30-40 tonnes/ha.

CPRI Director Surjeet Singh said that the potato of China had reigned supreme in the world but this time around, the crop grown in Agra beat ‘Poland’ for health and several other reasons. The CPRI has also given a special certificate to Agra’s potato. Singh said soon the crop would be exported to several other countries, including Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Mauritius.

Singh said, “Processing companies have of late developed a liking for Agra’s potato and quite a few new units may soon come up in the city. The CPRI has demanded from the government that potato be accorded food crop status instead of vegetable crop.” He said that 2009 would be observed as ‘Potato Year’ and an international conference organized in this direction.

The potatoes in India are cultivated under highly diversified agro-climatic conditions ranging from sea level to snowline and up to three crops are raised per year. Potato is mainly rabi crop and is grown mainly in UP, Punjab, Haryana, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. There are four-potato export zone in India viz. in UP, Punjab, MP and West Bengal. The major potato markets in UP are Agra, Hathras, Kanpur, Meerut, Farrukkhabad.