Potato growers in the domestic or international market will be able to differentiate Punjab’s potatoes from other states starting next year, as the Punjab Agri Export Corporation (PAGREXCO) is seeking to deploy blockchain technology to undertake certification and traceability of seed potato right from the nucleus to seed level (harvest), informs Tribune India. The technology will be provided by Cropin Technology Solutions – a company based in Bengaluru.

By leveraging blockchain technology, the potato farmers would be able to trace the origin of the seeds they buy. Using technologies such as barcode and QR code, the solution will allow the farmers to cross-check whether they are buying the genuine seeds hailing from Punjab or not.

Punjab produces around 27 lakh metric tons of potatoes annually and supplies around 60-70% seed potato to domestic markets.

Under the project, the quality of seeds would be checked before sowing and will also be geo-tagged. The main objective of geo-tagging is to check the falsification of plantation claims. Officials said regular inspection of the field will be undertaken to keep a check on the inputs and disease.

To start with, a digitized database will be set up, which will also provide farmers with access to technical know-how on crop planning and management, inputs, credit, post-harvest management, value addition, and improved market linkages.

The centralized platform would also help in capturing all relevant information through a simple mobile application and give dashboard-based insights on the data captured thereby ensuring traceability of the entire value chain.

According to Manjit Brar, managing director at Punjab Agri Export Corporation, the seed potato traceability, and certification system will be implemented from the coming potato season. The entire process will be managed through software and certifying authority will do the due certification via the software only so that transparency is maintained.