India: Gov’t to help set up state-of-the-art potato seed production centre

In the city of Bhubaneswar, in India’s eastern state of Odisha, the government is planning to lease land to Bangalore-based Utkal Tubers India Private Ltd (UTIPL) for the setting up of a state-of-the-art potato seed production centre. The directorate of horticulture has identified 50 acres of land at two places for the company to produce superior quality potato seeds. About 10 acres of land has been earmarked at Deras in Khurda district for establishing a tissue culture laboratory for production of 100,000 metric tonnes of potato seeds to cater for the state’s demand. About 40 acres of land has been identified at Semiliguda in Koraput district, where a seed multiplication centre will be set up. The UTIPL will establish the required infrastructure and seed multiplication at its own cost. The total cost of the project is likely to be around Rs 200 million (1 Indian Rupee = 0.015 USD). However, the state government will provide infrastructure support like road connectivity, electricity and water supply to the project sites, sources said. For the last few years, the state has been facing a potato crisis as it is unable to produce potatoes in sufficient quantity and is always dependent upon other states like West Bengal, Punjab and Uttarakhand for meeting the shortage. (Source: orissapost.com)