State government on Wednesday approved the Punjab Tissue Culture Based Seed Potato Bill, 2020, to meet the demand of potato farmers for quality seed potato, and enable the development of the state as export hub for seed potato in the country.
To boost potato farmers’ income, Punjab government has decided to allow production of quality seed potato through tissue culture based technology, using aeroponics/net house facilities, along with the certification of seed potato and its successive generations.
The move would also help incentivize potato production, leading to greater diversification by bringing more area under potato crop cultivation, said an official spokesperson.
“Currently, potato crop is grown across an approximate area of one lakh hectares in the state, generating a demand of 4 LMT of quality seed potato. However, there is negligible supply of quality seed potato from Central Potato Research Institute, Shimla. Also, some traders illegally supply poor quality seed by putting the mark of Punjab seed potato on it,” he said. “Besides the demand from within the state, there is also demand for seed potato from outside the state, and since Punjab is bestowed with unique climatic conditions, it is favourable for virus/bacterial/pathogen-free production of quality seed potato,” he added.
