News: India to set up a regional wing of the Peru-based International Potato Center (CIP) with a focus on the potato and sweet potato.
About International Potato Centre (CIP)
- It was founded in 1971 with a focus on the potato, sweet potato and Andean roots and tubers.
- It primarily works in South America, Africa and Asia.
- It commenced its work in India in 1975, signing an initial agreement with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
- Headquarters: Lima, Peru.
- A new regional centre of CIP is going to be set up in India – to be known as the CIP-South Asia Regional Center (CSARC).
- It will come up at Singna in Agra district of Uttar Pradesh.
- It will cater to farmers in India’s potato belt states, like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal and also to South Asian countries.
About Potato and Sweet Potato Crops
- The potato crop is native to the Peruvian-Bolivian Andes in Latin America, spread across the globe by the Spaniards and the Portuguese who colonised the continent.
- Potatoes reached India in the 17th century.
- It is the third most available food crop in the world, after rice and wheat, while sweet potato is in the 6th position after maize and cassava.
- Top producers: India is its second-largest producer and consumer after China.
- In 2020, China’s production was recorded at 24 mt, while India produced 51.30 mt, accounting for over one-third of the global potato production (359.07 mt).
- Indian scenario
- Top producing states: Uttar Pradesh (15 mt), West Bengal (15 mt) and Bihar (9 mt) were the top three potato producers in 2020-21 with Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab also have significant production.
- Issue of Low average yield:
- Potato: India’s average yield of potato crop is 25 tonnes per hectare — about half of its potential of over 50 tonnes per hectare due to lack of availability of high-quality seeds.
- Sweet potato: India’s sweet potato yield is just 5 tonnes per hectare, which is much less than the potential of 30 tonnes per hectare.
