Overview

• The Union Cabinet cleared the South Asia Regional Centre of the International Potato Centre at Singna in Agra with ₹111 crore in funding and ten hectares of land from the Uttar Pradesh government.
• The $20 million project will see India contribute $13 million through the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and CIP provide $7 million toward infrastructure and research.
• Key research areas include development of high-yielding, nutrient-rich potato and sweet potato varieties alongside integrated pest management and seed production.
• Programmes on sustainable cultivation practices, post-harvest value addition and farmer training aim to strengthen processing, packaging and marketing across the potato value chain.
• As the world’s second-largest potato producer with Uttar Pradesh supplying nearly 30 percent of national output, India stands to boost nutrition security and rural incomes through this centre.