Potato Production in India - An Overview (PDF)

**Potato production in India-an over view** **N.K.Pandey and E.P.Venkatasalam** **ICAR-Central Potato Research Institute, Shimla-171001 (HP)** Potato is one of the world's most important non-cereal, high yielding horticultural food crops which is native of Peru-Bolivia in the Andes (South America...

**Potato production in India-an over view** **N.K.Pandey and E.P.Venkatasalam** **ICAR-Central Potato Research Institute, Shimla-171001 (HP)** Potato is one of the world's most important non-cereal, high yielding horticultural food crops which is native of Peru-Bolivia in the Andes (South America) and seems to have been introduced in India from Europe by Portuguese in the early 17^th^ century. Initially, it established as an important cool season crop in the hills as well as plains. But, now it is being cultivated in almost all the States of India under different agro-climatic conditions. India has taken a giant leap in terms of potato area and production since independence. At the time of inception of ICAR-CPRI, in the year 1949, India used to produce 1.54 million tons of potatoes from 0.234 million ha area at an average productivity level of 6.58 t/ha. As per FAOSTAT, the potato production in India during 2013 was 45.34 million tons from 1.99 million ha area with a productivity of 22.76 t/ha. There has been a phenomenal increase in potato area (8.5 times), production (29.4 times) and productivity (3.5 times) over six decades. Ability of potato to produce highest nutrition and dry matter on per unit area and time basis, among major food crops made FAO to declare it the crop to address future global food security and poverty alleviation during 2008. Estimated domestic demand of potatoes in India is 122 million tons during 2050. Presently, the ICAR-CPRI has 6 regional research stations in different potato growing areas of the country. These are located in Modipuram (UP), Jalandhar (Punjab), Gwalior (MP), Patna (Bihar), Shillong (Meghalaya), and Ootacamund (Tamil Nadu). The institute played a key role in popularizing potato cultivation and utilization under sub-tropical agro-ecosystem. The major research outputs of the institute are breeding of 66 improved varieties, seed plot technique, national potato seed production programme and scheduling zone-wise agro techniques. The major outcome of the scheme is 32.68 fold increase in production, 9.35 fold increase in area and 3.54 fold increase in yield during last seven decades. The area, yield and production in 1949-50 (the year of establishment of ICAR-CPRI) was 0.23 million ha, 6.59 t/ha and 1.54 million tonnes, respectively. As per 3rd Advance Estimate of DAC&FW, India produced 53.03 million tonnes of potato from 2.16 million ha area with an average yield of 24.55 t/ha last year (2018-19). As a consequence, India emerged as the second largest potato producer in the world after China. Some of the key technologies developed by the institute are briefly described below. ICAR-CPRI has been adequately recognized by the nation on several occasions for this stupendous contribution. Agriculture, including allied activities, contributed 13.9% of the GDP at constant prices (2004-05) in 2013- 14 while this sector still accounts for 54.6% of total employment in the country. Current share of potato to agricultural GDP is 2.86% out of 1.32% cultivable area. On the contrary, the two principal food crops, rice and wheat, contribute 18.25% and 8.22% of agricultural GDP, respectively from 31.19% and 20.56% cultivable area, respectively. It indicated that contribution of potato in agricultural GDP from unit area of cultivable land is about 3.7 times higher than rice and 5.4 times higher than wheat. Potato varieties developed by ICAR-Central Potato Research Institute are very popular among farmers and cover nearly 95% of total area under potato. India produced \~ 45.87 million tonnes of potato annually during the triennium 2014-17 and contributed \` 57,512 crore annually to the Gross Value Added (GVA) at current price. The varieties developed by ICAR-CPRI contributed \` 54,636 crore annually during this period. Four varieties, viz. Kufri Jyoti, Kufri Bahar, Kufri Pukhraj, and Kufri Chipsona 1 together contributed around 75% of total area under potato. Potato being a labour-intensive crop requires about 145 man days for cultivation of 1 ha of land. Thus nearly 293 million man-days of employment have been generated only for potato cultivation during 2013-14. Besides, large number of semi-skilled labour is required for carrying out post-harvest operations like transportation, storage, processing, marketing etc. Moreover, about 75% of the total labour force employed in potato cultivation is constituted by the women. Therefore, potato encourages gender equality in agricultural labour market. Global and Indian scenario Potato is the third most important food crop in the world after rice and wheat in terms of human consumption. Global annual potato production during the triennium ending (TE) 2013 was 370 million tonnes resulting in per capita availability of over 50 kg. As per FAOSTAT, India is the second largest annual producer of potato after China, leaving the Russian Federation far behind (43.1, 88.2 and 30.8 million tonnes, respectively, during TE 2013). Developed countries were the major potato producers as well as consumers till the last millennium. A comparison of potato production growth during TE 2003 and 2013 showed that Africa (97%) experienced the highest proportionate growth followed by Asia. India and China were not only the major contributors to the Asian growth of potato production but being producer of one third global potato, contributed significantly to world potato production. Potato consumption in India and China is accelerating due to increasing industrialization and participation of women in the job market that created demand for processed, ready-to-eat convenience food, particularly in urban areas. During the last decade, developed world has experienced fall in per capita potato consumption (Americas Europe, Oceania, Russian Federation having - 8.8, -9.4, -8.3 and -2.4% growth in per capita potato consumption, respectively), while at the same time per capita potato consumption in the developing world showed increasing trend (Africa, Asia, India, and China showed 40.6, 25.6, 37.1 and 28.8% growth in per capita potato demand, respectively) during the TE 2001 and 2011. In absolute terms Asia is the biggest gainer in per capita as well as total potato consumption during this period. However, the productivity in most of the developing countries continues to be very low. \` Potato is a predominant vegetable in India, at present most of the domestic supply of potatoes is consumed as fresh (68%) followed by processing (7.5%) and as seed (8.5%). The rest 16% potatoes are wasted due to post harvest losses. However, the proportion of potato used/ wasted due to various reasons is expected to change in the medium and long term scenario. During the current year **Uttar Pradesh** is the major Potato producing State with 31.26% of production share, followed by West Bengal, Bihar, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh with 23.29 %, 13.22%, 7.43% and 6.20% share respectively. In Telangana potato is being grown in an area of 1110 ha under total production of 24660 tonnes was achieved. The average productivity of potato in Telangana is 22.22 t/ha. **Rank** **State Name** **Production- 000\'Tonnes** ---------- ---------------- ----------------------------- 1 Uttar Pradesh 15,323.55 2 West Bengal 13,783.00 3 Bihar 8,101.41 4 Gujarat 3,707.69 5 Madhya Pradesh 3,277.50 6 Punjab 2,724.44 7 Assam 1,116.57 8 Haryana 828.09 9 Jharkhand 693.57 10 Chhattisgarh 659.66 Potato being a vegetatively propagated crop is subjected to large number of seed-borne diseases responsible for degeneration of seed stocks over the years. It is therefore imperative to use good quality seed for economic production. Till 1935, the seed potato was being imported from various European countries on yearly basis, but during Second World War, European countries put a blanket ban on the export of potato seed to India. Therefore, Imperial Agriculture Research Institute started potato breeder seed production scheme at Shimla and Kufri during 1935. It was the beginning of seed potato industry in the country. The seed potato from the hills used to be dormant for planting in the plains, therefore, either the dormancy was broken artificially or the system of late planting, somewhere in last week of December, was adopted to grow late winter or spring crop of potato. The spring crop was exposed to high population of aphids leading to very high viral infestation resulting in poor productivity in the subsequent generations. In addition to this, the area under potato was quite marginal in the hills. It was therefore not possible to feed large area in the plains. Therefore, intensive survey was made in the plains to find out vector free period/low vector suitable for potato seed production. This laid the foundation of development of "seed plot technique" in 1959 which helped production of good quality seed in the plains so as to meet the bulk seed requirement for ware potato production in the sub-tropical plains. This technique drastically improved the health standard of seeds produced in plains. During the first three decades (1958-59, 1968-69 and 1978-79) a linear increase in area, production and productivity could be achieved largely because of the seed plot technique and improved varieties. The seed technology research and innovative quality seed production programme by public and private sector has played a vital role in potato revolution in the country. However, all other neighboring countries viz., Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka were importing seed from Holland, paying very high price. Seed Plot Technique not only benefited our farmers, our country also saved millions of rupees on foreign exchange which would have gone for purchase of costly seed from foreign countries. The varieties released before 1963 ran out quickly because small quantities of seed were supplied to State Departments and progressive farmers, without linking with the production of disease-free seed stock at the field level. It happened primarily because of low multiplication rate of potato seed, which is as low as 1:5 per generation. Because of high seed rate (25-30 q/ha) and low seed multiplication rate, newly released potato varieties took very long period for reaching to the farmers' field. This necessitated a technology for quick production of healthy breeder seed of the released varieties in sufficient quantity. Moreover, very strict control was needed to maintain the health status of the vegetatively propagated crop. Therefore, a well organized scientific strategy of breeder seed production was envisaged in 1962-63 and thereafter through clonal selection, tuber indexing and stage-wise field multiplication of healthy indexed tubers in subsequent four generations was done to produce nucleus and breeder seed. Indexing of tubers against contagious and insect transmitted viruses is done by ELISA against PVX, PVS, PVM, PVA, PVY, PLRV and PALCV. Crop inspection, roguing of diseased plants and immune-diagnosis are the regular features of the programme to improve the seed quality. The breeder seed produced by CPRI is supplied to various state govt. organizations for further multiplication in three more cycles' viz., foundation-1, foundation-2 and certified seed under strict health standards. However, the current status of breeder seed multiplication by the state governments is not as per the desired seed multiplication chain. The state govt. organizations multiply the breeder seed only up to Foundation-1 and producing about 15,600 tones potato seed in the country. This way there is huge shortage of certified seed in the country. The conventional system has limitations like i) low rate of multiplication ii) requires more number of disease free propagules in the initial stage iii) development of 100% healthy seed stock from infected material is slow and time taking iv) progressive accumulation of degenerative viral diseases is there in each field exposure and, v) several field multiplications of initial disease-free material (7 years). The only way-out to overcome the above said limitations is augmentation of seed production through hi-tech system to improve the quality and to reduce the field exposure. Therefore, ICAR-Central Potato Research Institute is gradually shifting from conventional system of seed production to hi-tech seed production system. Potato has readily responded to the totipotent nature of plant tissues in micro propagation and it has become easy to export/import disease free planting material in tissue culture form without any risk of importation of deadly diseases. The process of micro propagation has become much more important in the case of potato for the purpose of production of disease-free plants from infected one. There is a tremendous scope to increase healthy seed production vertically by adopting aeroponic technology as well as apical rooted cutting technology. The adoption of high-tech seed production technologies developed by the Institute has led to opening of more than four dozen tissue culture labs throughout the country. Advantages of this system are i) tropical states which do not have isolated and virus-free potato growing areas can also produce quality seed ii) early supply of nucleus seed to commercial growers by reducing the field exposure time iii) improved tuber quality and reducing the load of degenerative diseases iv) utilize the resources and trained manpower round the year and v) vertical growth and reduction in pressure on land. At present, the country has an area of approximately 2.05 million ha under potato and requires about 6.15 million tones of quality seed. Therefore, area to be planted under various classes of seed will be around 0.40 million hectare. To cover this area, our country requires about 7908 tones breeder seed for meeting the requirement of seed potato after three multiplications at state/farmer's level for 1.65 million ha under ware potato production. However, ICAR-Central Potato Research Institute is producing about 3000 tones of breeder seed per annum. In potato cultivation, potato seed is most expensive input accounting for 40 to 50 percent of the production cost. Moreover, a high rate of degeneration causes the seed to deteriorate after a few multiplications. Since the eastern, north-eastern, deccan and south western parts of the country are not suitable for quality seed production barring few locations, the farmers of these areas have no option but to buy the seed potato from northern India.