India Establishes South Asia’s CIP Regional Hub
India will obtain its own CIP regional hub for South Asia, seven years after China built a regional center of the International Potato Center (CIP). Agra District from Uttar Pradesh is to host the CIP-South Asia Regional Centre (CIP-SARC).
Farmers growing potatoes and sweet potatoes in India’s main producing states, including West Bengal, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh, would benefit from the new facility. It will help other countries in South Asia as well, according to the Indian Express.
Following discussions between representatives of Peru and India, the Union Cabinet in India will approve the formal agreement before it is signed. The proposal has been sent by the Ministry of Agriculture to the Committee on Establishment Expenditure, which is chaired by the Secretary of Expenditure.
India will contribute USD13m of the project’s USD20m cost, with CIP covering the rest sum. Ten hectares of land will be given to the center by the Uttar Pradesh government.
Developing novel disease-free, climate-resilient sweet potato and potato cultivars that are appropriate for processing is one of the CIP-SARC’s main objectives. It will make use of CIP’s genetic resources, innovative networks, and worldwide scientific experience.
After China, India is the world’s second-largest producer of potatoes. In 2020–2021, the three states that produced the most potatoes were Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Bihar.
After the IRRI-South Asia Regional Centre, which was founded in Varanasi in 2017, the proposed institution will be the country’s second-largest international agricultural research institute.
