India has taken a major step towards bolstering its potato and sweet potato sectors, with the Union Cabinet approving the establishment of the South Asia Regional Centre (CSARC) of the International Potato Centre (CIP) in Agra, Uttar Pradesh.

The decision, made at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 25, is expected to enhance food and nutrition security, support smallholder incomes, and generate employment across the potato value chain. According to an official statement from the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, the new regional centre will be set up in Singna, Agra.

“The major objective of this investment is to increase food and nutrition security, farmers income, and job creation by improving potato and sweet potato productivity, post-harvest management and value-addition,” the statement said.

India, already the world’s second-largest potato producer, is projected to overtake China by 2050 with estimated annual output reaching 100 million tonnes, according to scientists from CIP. As the industry scales up, challenges around storage infrastructure, logistics, and pest and disease management have taken centre stage, particularly with potatoes becoming a globally traded commodity.

The new centre aims to address these structural bottlenecks by fostering R&D on high-yielding, climate-resilient and nutrient-rich varieties tailored to South Asia’s agro-climatic conditions. “High yielding, nutrient and climate resilient varieties of potato and sweet potato, developed by CSARC, will significantly accelerate the sustainable development of the potato and sweet potato sectors not only in India but in the South Asia region also through world-class science and innovation,” the statement added.

India’s potato sector already shows signs of global integration. In recent developments, Uttar Pradesh exported potatoes to Guyana for the first time, while dairy cooperative Amul is producing potato seed in Prayagraj for export to Germany.

Research institutions across the country are also innovating downstream. At the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) BHU, scientists have developed a method to produce bio-ethanol from potato peels—a potential step toward reducing India’s crude oil dependency. Meanwhile, new varieties such as Kufri Neelkanth, known for its antioxidant properties, are being developed to meet both nutritional and market demands.

As India positions itself as a future global leader in potato production, efforts to improve post-harvest handling, storage infrastructure, and value-added processing will be essential to sustaining growth and mitigating losses across the supply chain.