Processing to boost potato exports

Potato exporters should emphasise on processing to increase sales in the international market, said Sharad Pawar, Union agriculture minister, at the India International Potato Expo 2008 in Kolkata on Friday.

The share of India in the global market of potato was close to 0.5 per cent, he said.

The minster assured the West Bengal government of full monetary support from the recently created Rs 25,000 crore corpus fund for agriculture promotion.

"We have decided to give full freedom to the states for implementing schemes using the fund," he said.

Also, poor storage facilities, pests and post harvesting losses were impacting the potato market in the country.

The minister urged researchers to develop newer varieties of potato, which are economical to grow, healthy and exportable.

India would not be able to maintain an overall 9 per cent growth rate, unless the agriculture sector grew at the rate of 4 per cent, he warned. India was the largest producer of sugarcane and second largest cotton grower in the world.

As India was a major rice producing country in the world, states should focus more on rice productivity as well, he said.

"In the next two-three years, West Bengal can emerge as the biggest producer of potato," he said.