Question : Potato Seeds

(a) the details of the improved varieties of potato seeds along with the steps taken to make them easily available to farmers;
(b) whether the Government has taken any steps to provide high-yielding improved varieties of potato seeds to the farmers and run any training programme regarding care, production and storage of the said crop in Phulpur Parliamentary Constituency of Prayagraj district and the nearby districts where potato is produced in large quantity; and
(c) if so, the number of farmers trained under the said programme and the details thereof?

THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
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(a) Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Potato Research Institute (ICAR-CPRI), Shimla has developed following 18 improved Potato varieties for which breeder seed is produced as per demand/indent:
Kufri Anand Kufri Bahar Kufri Chipsona-1
Kufri Chipsona-3 Kufri Frysona Kufri Khyati
Kufri Pukhraj Kufri Surya Kufri Mohan
Kufri Garima Kufri Lima Kufri Neelkhanth
Kufri Jyoti Kufri Badshah Kufri Chandramukhi
Kufri Sindhuri Kufri Lauvkar Kufri Ganga




Steps taken to increase availability of seeds to farmers are:
i. Seed Division, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India requests State governments to place the breeder seed indent of all Agriculture and Vegetable crops (including potato) varieties one year in advance.
ii. Breeder seed of different potato varieties is produced as per indent forwarded to Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) for its production. After production, breeder seeds of indented varieties are allocated to State Governments/indenters for further multiplication into foundation seed (FS) and then certified seed (CS) for its distribution to the farmers.
iii. As agriculture being a State subject, the role of the State Government is critical in the planning, production, availability and distribution of seeds to the farmers. The government of India supplements the efforts of the State Governments by coordinating seed requirement and availability among the states through Zonal Seed Review Meeting held before every crop season, by a weekly video conference on inputs availability as well as the bi-yearly National Kharif and Rabi campaign meeting to timely meet the any shortfall of certified/quality seeds in the states.

(b) Last year (2020-21), a quantity of 6664.19.00 q of Breeder seed of eight potato varieties namely Kufri Mohan, Kufri Frysona, Kufri Anand, Kufri Chipsona-1, Kufri Chipsona-3, Kufri Bahar, Kufri Kyati and Kufri Pukhraj as per allotment of DoAFW was supplied to Department of Horticulture and Food Processing, Govt. of Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow and Meerut for further multiplication in State Government farms for production of Foundation / Certified seed.
Training programme on potato production and storage is imparted by Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Potato Research Institute (ICAR-CPRI), Shimla and its Regional Research Station at Modipuram (ICAR-CPRIRS) on regular basis. Besides, ICAR-All India Coordinated Research Project on Potato (ICAR-AICRPP) centres at Kumarganj and Kanpur also impart such training to the farmers. However, farmers from Phulpur Parliamentary Constituency of Prayagraj district and nearby districts attend the training programme on regular basis at ICAR-CPRI, RS, Modipuram (UP).

(c) A total of 429 and 564 farmers from Uttar Pradesh were given training on cultivation and storage of potato during the year 2020-21 and 2021-22, respectively by ICAR-CPRI Regional Research Station at Modipuram.
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