Tripura is on a mission to become fully self-reliant in potato and potato seed production by 2030, as announced by Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Ratan Lal Nath on September 12th.
In order to achieve this ambitious goal, the state government has entered into an agreement with the International Potato Centre (CIP) based in Peru. The partnership aims to enhance cultivation practices, introduce advanced technologies, and establish a chips processing center in Tripura. This agreement was formalized after a high-level meeting with CIP Director General Simon Heck and Country Manager Niroj Sharma in Agartala.
At present, Tripura has 23,746 farmers cultivating potatoes across 7,622 hectares. Historically, the average yield per hectare stood at 19.16 MT, with farmers relying on seeds sourced from local markets or neighboring states like West Bengal and Punjab, without any guarantee of quality.
Minister Nath mentioned that previous attempts with True Potato Seeds (TPS) proved to be costly, labor-intensive, and yielded limited results. However, the introduction of the Epical Rooted Cutting (ERC) method in 2022-23, funded by ₹5 crore under the Rashtriya Krishi Bima Yojana (RKBY), has been a game-changer. Initially supporting 104 farmers in 2023, the program has expanded to benefit 4,000 farmers, resulting in a record-breaking yield of 62.5 MT per hectare.
Last year, Tripura produced 1.46 lakh MT of potatoes against a demand of 1.55 lakh MT. With the successful implementation of new technologies, the state aims to achieve self-sufficiency in potato seeds by 2028-29 and complete self-reliance in production by 2029-30.
Minister Nath expressed his optimism about the future, stating, “Once we attain self-reliance, our next objective will be to export potatoes. This will not only ensure food security for Tripura but also create new economic opportunities for our farmers.”
