West Bengal is moving towards self-sufficiency in potato seed production with advanced research, tissue culture and aeroponics technology in collaboration with ICAR-CPRI Shimla.
Shimla : West Bengal is taking steps towards achieving greater self-sufficiency in potato production by expanding modern technologies for the development and production of high-quality, disease-free potato seeds within the state. The initiative aims to ensure easier access to quality planting material for farmers while improving potato productivity, crop quality and farm incomes.
For the programme, the West Bengal government will seek research and technical support from the ICAR-Central Potato Research Institute (CPRI), headquartered in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for technical cooperation on potato seed research and production in West Bengal was signed between the Centre and the state during Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s recent visit to West Bengal.
Speaking at the CPRI headquarters in Shimla, institute director Dr Brajesh Singh said the adoption of modern technologies could play a major role in producing high-quality potato planting material. Technologies such as hi-tech seed production, tissue culture and aeroponics can help provide farmers with healthier planting material, potentially resulting in higher productivity, better quality produce and improved farm incomes.
According to Dr Singh, a team will now be constituted to take forward the research and technological collaboration between West Bengal and the Centre. The initial plan is to conduct research by dividing the state into two broad regions—North Bengal and South Bengal. Potato seed research will be undertaken keeping in mind the climatic conditions, soil characteristics and agro-ecological environment of the respective regions so that the technologies and planting material developed are suited to local conditions.
The move is also significant from the perspective of reducing the state’s dependence on potato seeds sourced from outside West Bengal. At one time, Himachal Pradesh was a major government-approved source of potato seeds supplied to West Bengal. However, supplies from the state were subsequently discontinued for various reasons. At present, potato seeds are brought to West Bengal mainly from Punjab.
The development of potato seed research and production facilities within West Bengal could help reduce cultivation costs for farmers by lowering transportation expenses. Local production could also make quality planting material more readily available and potentially reduce the logistical challenges associated with transporting potato seeds over long distances.
Experts believe that the technical collaboration with ICAR-CPRI Shimla could play an important role in improving potato productivity and farmer incomes in West Bengal. The availability of disease-free and high-quality planting material, combined with wider adoption of modern production technologies, could help improve both the yield and quality of potatoes grown in the state.
West Bengal is one of India’s major potato-producing states, making the availability of healthy and quality planting material particularly important for sustaining and expanding production. Researchers and agricultural experts have increasingly highlighted the importance of disease-free seed material in ensuring efficient and economically viable potato cultivation.
Dr Brajesh Singh also pointed out that potatoes are primarily propagated vegetatively rather than through true botanical seeds. As a result, the crop faces a comparatively higher risk of seed-borne diseases being carried from one generation to another through planting material. The use of healthy, disease-free and high-quality seed is therefore considered one of the key requirements for sustainable and economically profitable potato production.
The proposed research programme in West Bengal is expected to focus on developing and expanding technologies that can produce healthier planting material at scale. The use of tissue culture and aeroponics, in particular, could help strengthen the availability of quality planting material while supporting a more scientific approach to potato seed production.
With research planned separately for North and South Bengal based on their respective climatic and geographical conditions, the initiative is expected to lay the foundation for a more locally adapted potato seed production system. If successfully implemented, the collaboration between West Bengal and ICAR-CPRI could reduce dependence on external sources, lower transportation-related costs and provide farmers with better access to high-quality potato seeds within the state.
The initiative is thus being viewed as an important step towards strengthening West Bengal’s potato sector, improving farm-level productivity and moving the state closer to self-sufficiency in quality potato seed production.
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Institute director Dr Brajesh Singh and other officials at a press conference in ICAR-Central Potato Research Institute (CPRI), headquartered in Shimla. |
Shimla : West Bengal is taking steps towards achieving greater self-sufficiency in potato production by expanding modern technologies for the development and production of high-quality, disease-free potato seeds within the state. The initiative aims to ensure easier access to quality planting material for farmers while improving potato productivity, crop quality and farm incomes.
For the programme, the West Bengal government will seek research and technical support from the ICAR-Central Potato Research Institute (CPRI), headquartered in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for technical cooperation on potato seed research and production in West Bengal was signed between the Centre and the state during Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s recent visit to West Bengal.
Speaking at the CPRI headquarters in Shimla, institute director Dr Brajesh Singh said the adoption of modern technologies could play a major role in producing high-quality potato planting material. Technologies such as hi-tech seed production, tissue culture and aeroponics can help provide farmers with healthier planting material, potentially resulting in higher productivity, better quality produce and improved farm incomes.
According to Dr Singh, a team will now be constituted to take forward the research and technological collaboration between West Bengal and the Centre. The initial plan is to conduct research by dividing the state into two broad regions—North Bengal and South Bengal. Potato seed research will be undertaken keeping in mind the climatic conditions, soil characteristics and agro-ecological environment of the respective regions so that the technologies and planting material developed are suited to local conditions.
The move is also significant from the perspective of reducing the state’s dependence on potato seeds sourced from outside West Bengal. At one time, Himachal Pradesh was a major government-approved source of potato seeds supplied to West Bengal. However, supplies from the state were subsequently discontinued for various reasons. At present, potato seeds are brought to West Bengal mainly from Punjab.
The development of potato seed research and production facilities within West Bengal could help reduce cultivation costs for farmers by lowering transportation expenses. Local production could also make quality planting material more readily available and potentially reduce the logistical challenges associated with transporting potato seeds over long distances.
Experts believe that the technical collaboration with ICAR-CPRI Shimla could play an important role in improving potato productivity and farmer incomes in West Bengal. The availability of disease-free and high-quality planting material, combined with wider adoption of modern production technologies, could help improve both the yield and quality of potatoes grown in the state.
West Bengal is one of India’s major potato-producing states, making the availability of healthy and quality planting material particularly important for sustaining and expanding production. Researchers and agricultural experts have increasingly highlighted the importance of disease-free seed material in ensuring efficient and economically viable potato cultivation.
Dr Brajesh Singh also pointed out that potatoes are primarily propagated vegetatively rather than through true botanical seeds. As a result, the crop faces a comparatively higher risk of seed-borne diseases being carried from one generation to another through planting material. The use of healthy, disease-free and high-quality seed is therefore considered one of the key requirements for sustainable and economically profitable potato production.
The proposed research programme in West Bengal is expected to focus on developing and expanding technologies that can produce healthier planting material at scale. The use of tissue culture and aeroponics, in particular, could help strengthen the availability of quality planting material while supporting a more scientific approach to potato seed production.
With research planned separately for North and South Bengal based on their respective climatic and geographical conditions, the initiative is expected to lay the foundation for a more locally adapted potato seed production system. If successfully implemented, the collaboration between West Bengal and ICAR-CPRI could reduce dependence on external sources, lower transportation-related costs and provide farmers with better access to high-quality potato seeds within the state.
The initiative is thus being viewed as an important step towards strengthening West Bengal’s potato sector, improving farm-level productivity and moving the state closer to self-sufficiency in quality potato seed production.
Input : PIB
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