Bio-fortified potatoes, with added iron content, will soon be available in Indian markets, said Dr. Simon Heck, Director General of the Peru-based International Potato Center (CIP), in an interview to The Hindu.
Bio-fortified sweet potatoes, additionally added Vitamin A using technology developed by the CIP, are already available in Karnataka, Assam, West Bengal and Odisha, and the CIP will take efforts to make available the seeds of bio-fortified sweet potato to more farmers, said Dr. Heck. He is in India as part of the establishment of the South Asia regional centre of the CIP in Agra. Dr. Heck expressed the hope that the centre will help farmers to access better quality potato and sweet potato seeds and better access to the market.
The CIP believes that the location outside Agra, in the heart of the potato belt of India, is ideal for the new centre, as the Indo-Gangetic plains are the largest potato-producing area in the world. Dr. Heck said the Government of Uttar Pradesh had made available the land and handed it over to the National Horticulture Board, which invited the CIP to establish a centre.
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This agreement between the CIP and the Union Agriculture Ministry was signed in the last week of July. It was set up at the demand from the Government of India in recognition of the potential for economic growth and the value generated from the growing potato sector. Dr. Heck said India had the strongest momentum for potato production. “It may be noted that international companies, especially potato firms from Europe and North America, are increasingly investing in potato production in India,” he said.
