UP planning potato policy on the lines of sugar

With the objective of promoting potato-based industries in the state, the Uttar Pradesh government is planning to formulate a potato policy on the lines of its hugely successful sugar industry policy.

UP Development Council Chairman Amar Singh said it took him over a year to develop the policy of promoting investment in the sugar industry.

"Though the assembly elections are round the corner, I would undertake the task of formulating a comprehensive policy that will focus on the interests of the farmers," he added.

UP is the largest producer of potatoes and the UP State Agriculture Marketing Board has recently taken initiatives to promote the export of the commodity. Of the total potato production in India nearly 50 per cent is produced in UP.

In the last season, the potato crop was sown on 470,000 hectares and the total production was close to 11 million tonnes and in the current season, the potato production is estimated to be close to 17 million tonnes.