In a significant step towards further strengthening India’s potato seed production system and ensuring the widespread availability of quality planting material for farmers, the Revolving Fund Management Committee (RFSMC) of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-Central Potato Research Institute (CPRI), Shimla, has granted approval to resume the tissue culture-based multiplication of ‘Kufri Bahar’, a widely cultivated potato variety in the country.
This decision was taken during the annual meeting of the RFSMC for the year 2026-27, held at ICAR-CPRI, Shimla under the chairmanship of Dr Brajesh Singh, Director of CPRI and Chairman of the RFSMC.
During the meeting, Dr Singh said the decision to restart the tissue culture-based multiplication of ‘Kufri Bahar’, has been taken after considering the genuine demand from farmers. He said tissue culture technology enables the rapid production of disease-free and high-quality planting material, thereby making the seed production process more efficient and accelerated.
“This initiative is expected to lead to a substantial increase in the availability of quality seed material and assist in providing seeds to farmers in a timely manner. This decision is considered particularly crucial for Uttar Pradesh, where ‘Kufri Bahar’ is cultivated across more than 70 per cent of the total potato-growing area. Experts believe that this initiative will play a pivotal role in accelerating the seed multiplication process, enhancing the availability of quality planting material and improving both farmer productivity and crop performance” said Dr Singh.
Apart from this, presentations were delivered by the institute headquarters as well as its various regional centres- Modipuram, Gwalior, Jalandhar, Patna, Kufri-Fagu, Ooty and Shillong- covering a review of progress, an assessment of regional challenges and discussions on potential opportunities to strengthen the potato seed production network.
Several critical issues related to enhancing the efficiency of seed production and further fortifying the potato seed supply chain were deliberated upon in detail.
