Growers acquainted about Processing Industry Oriented Potato Production

Jammu| : Directorate of Agriculture Production & Farmers Welfare, Jammu in collaboration with Haldiram India (Ltd) organized a One day orientation programme for growers on Potato Production with Processing Industry specific Quality Standards at Kissan Kendra, Jammu, here Monday.
Director AP & FW, Jammu, Sh K. K. Sharma lit the ceremonial lump on the occasion to mark the inauguration of the programme. A good number of eminent Potato growers attended the programme.
The main aim of the programme is to provide market linkage to the potato growers.
Director Agriculture Production & FW Jammu in his keynote address highlighted that production of Potato crop matching quality parameters of big food chains and food processing units should be promoted for better marketing and high returns to the farmers. He stressed on diversification of potato cultivation through production for food, seed, processing industry and tissue culture. He said that focus is being laid on development of infrastructure facilities like cold storage and machinery requirement to support the industry oriented potato production.
Dr. Manoj Kumar, Joint Director Central Potato Research Institute (CPRI), Modi Puram who joined through video conferencing emphasised that potato required by processing industry must have >21% tuber dry matter content, containing low reducing sugars (<0.1% on fresh wt) and optimum shape and size. He also threw light on area specific and variety specific cultivation of potato suitable for producing chips, French fries and dehydrated products.
Dr. Harkirat Singh Gill, Vice President (Agro) Haldiram India, in his technical lecture covered in detail all the aspects of potato farming on scientific lines including variety selection, time of sowing, irrigation, fertilizer application, intercultural operations plant protection measures, harvesting, transportation, storage and marketing. He further said that the purpose of such efforts is to encourage the farmers to produce raw material of international standards.
Earlier, Joint Director Agriculture (Inputs), A. S. Reen in his inaugural address asked the farmers to take full advantage of this unique opportunity to clear their doubts regarding processing targeted potato cultivation. He said that the department is striving hard to raise farmer’s income by bringing the growers under entrepreneurship through the formation of FPO for production and marketing of potato.
Joint Director (Extension) said that there is great potential for round the year production of Potato crop in Jammu region to meet the needs of processing industry.
Later, in the interactive session, the questions raised by the farmers were answered by the experts satisfactorily. Programme Officer, Sanjay Dhar conducted the proceeding of the programme and Potato Development officer, Susheel Rattan Sharma presented the vote of thanks.