UP CM Yogi to Centre: Fast-track Peru’s potato research hub in Agra, flags 9-month delay

Centre to payment ‘potato belt’, South Asia

The CIP, a premier research-for-development organization, focuses connected murphy and saccharine murphy research. China established its halfway 8 years ago. Given Agra’s presumption arsenic a apical potato-producing region, a CIP halfway present would service farmers successful ‘potato belt’ states similar Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal, portion besides supporting South Asian countries, said a source.

The Agriculture Ministry has agelong discussed establishing CIP-SARC successful Agra. Before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, officials considered including it successful Modi 3.0 government’s archetypal 100-day agenda. The ministry has present received support from the Committee connected Establishment Expenditure (CEE), headed by the Expenditure Secretary. After Cabinet approval, Agriculture Ministry officials volition motion an statement with Peru’s authorities to found the center.

Sources said the full task volition outgo $20 cardinal (around Rs 160 crore), of which India volition lend $13 cardinal (around Rs 100 crore), portion the remaining volition beryllium funded by the CIP.

The projected centre volition absorption connected the improvement of caller varieties which are clime resilient, disease-free and are suitable for processing. It volition bring planetary subject expertise, extended planetary innovation web and planetary familial resources, said sources.

CIP founded successful 1971

Headquartered astatine Lima successful Peru, the CIP was founded successful 1971 arsenic a research-for-development organisation with a absorption connected potato, saccharine murphy and Andean roots and tubers. The murphy harvest is autochthonal to the Peruvian-Bolivian Andes successful South America.

CIP’s China Centre, known arsenic the China Center for Asia Pacific, was established successful Yanqing, Beijing successful 2017. Apart from China, the centre serves the full East Asia and the Pacific region.

The projected CIP-SARC volition beryllium the 2nd large planetary cultivation probe instauration to acceptable its operations successful India. In 2017, the Agriculture Ministry supported the constitution of a determination centre of the Philippines-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). The IRRI-SARC is established successful Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary constituency.

“The CIP-SARC is projected to beryllium developed connected the signifier of IRRI-SARC, which was established successful 2017 with the enactment of the Agriculture Ministry,” said a source.

As of now, astatine slightest 2 antithetic centres of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) enactment connected tuber crops. While the Shimla-based Central Potato Research Institute (ICAR-CPRI) is moving connected potato, the Thiruvananthapuram-based Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (ICAR-CTCRI) is moving connected saccharine potato.

China is the apical murphy shaper and user successful the world, followed by India. In 2020, China’s murphy accumulation was recorded astatine 78.24 cardinal tonnes, portion India recorded a accumulation of 51.30 cardinal tonnes. Both countries accounted for implicit one-third of the planetary murphy accumulation (359.07 cardinal tonnes).

In India, Uttar Pradesh (15 cardinal tonnes), West Bengal (15 cardinal tonnes), and Bihar (9 cardinal tonnes) were the apical 3 murphy producers successful 2020-21. The different states having important murphy accumulation are Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab.