Punjab potato growers expect sharp decline in yield

Punjab potato growers, who dumped their produce on the road last December in protest against low rates, expect a sharp fall in output of the tuber, with 20-30 per cent of the crop getting damaged due to unfavourable weather conditions last month.

“Rain in January has dealt a severe blow to potato growers in Punjab and it is going to have a damaging effect on overall production of crop in Punjab. We think the crop loss may be between 20-30 per cent,” said Confederation of Potato Seed Farmers president Sukhjit Singh Bhatti.

Potato growers said the rain mainly damaged potato varieties like ‘Pukhraj’ and ‘Jyoti’ in Jalandhar and Kapurthala. The maximum impact of rain was visible in Adampur, Bhogpur, Kartarpur, Kapurthala and Shakot.

With untimely rains damaging crop, harvesting of the tuber, which starts at January 24-25, has been delayed by ten days.

“The tuberation process, which is development of potato crop, got delayed which might bring down the overall yield from 250 quintals per hectare to 240 quintals a hectare,” said an official of the Punjab Horticulture department.

European test

Meanwhile, reports said an European Union (EU) team is touring Punjab to examine whether the crops are pest-free, with the government pushing hard for access to the European market.

An audit team of the Food and Veterinary Office of the EU, besides holding meetings with senior officials of the Punjab Horticulture department, also visited potato farms in Jalandhar and Patiala to discern the farm practices being followed by potato growers in the state.