Potato seed farmers sign up for soil protection

In view of the severe soil exploitation due to over-fertilisation, the Confederation of Potato Seed Farmers (Poscon) on Wednesday signed an MoU with a US’ firm Farm Technology Network (FTN) to seek guidance for the soil protection.

As per the MoU, FTN would provide the potato seed farmers guidance to protect soil, quality of which has already deteriorated due to inadvertent over-fertilisation of the farmers, Jang Bahadur Singh Sangha, Secretary-General of the Poscon said adding that the farmers would conduct mapping of the soil and record of soil testing would be sent to FTN, which would recommend and guide farmers about the appropriate fertilisation.

 

Under the pact, FTN would extend its services for soil balancing, nutrient solutions and even for cost reduction, education and alternative crops as well for value added products like corn for fuel, he added.

FTN is a company based in USA, which provides services in 26 US states and 15 countries on more than 40 different crops and special interests of the company were soil testing and crop fertility programs using the Albrecht system, microbiology of plant and leaf testing and agricultural economics, Sangha added.

Agriculture experts of US would visit Punjab and guide farmers for protecting the soil from extra burden of fertilisers, he added.

Sangha said a delegation of Poscon will participate in the forthcoming Global Potato Conference 2008 scheduled to be held from December 9 to 12 in New Delhi and Poscon was one of the official sponsor for the proposed global conference.

Asked if the potato seeds were being exported, Sangha said as the production of seeds were not certified by any federal agency in India, the produce could not be exported.