Punjab is all set to establish one of the most ultra modern Potato Centre of Excellence at village Dhogri of Jalandhar district, which would become epicentre of this natural potato seed production region. The centre would be developed under the aegis of Indo-Dutch joint agriculture workgroup with a focus on quality seed potato, suitable farm mechanisation and proper disease management technologies etc.
This centre would be constructed at a cost of Rs785 lakh on an area of 23.5 hectare, where tissue culture facility, agronomics facility, net houses, cold store, laboratory for routine tests, drip fustigation, solar pumps, planting machines along grading and packing equipments besides training facilities would also be available.
It would have advisory body of PUM Netherlands senior experts with active involvement of state horticulture mission, agriculture department of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands, Dutch, National and Punjab knowledge partners and Members of Dutch Potato Centre.
The centre would become fully functional by the end of this year. An official spokesman of state Agriculture Department said that this institution would showcase the added value of mechanism and improved cultural and management practices.
He said latest technology agronomics will be used to meet the emerging need of virus free and certified seed potato. This centre would also come with techniques of post harvest handling and storage with latest storage and monitoring systems to improve shelf life of the produce for different ends.
He said the trained task force will help the farmers as per standardised Dutch technology by the stakeholders in the potato chain. The spokesman added that with the adoption of proposed technologies the potatoes would be keep away from various 16 kinds of viruses.
He said this exercise would enhance the shelf life of different varieties. The seed would be produced in air instead of soil by making mini-tuber, which would be further germinated and hardened in net house. The sowing of disease free potato has been completed and it would give results in 6 months, added the spokesman.