The Union Cabinet, under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the establishment of the South Asia Regional Centre of the International Potato Centre (CIP) at Singna in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. The proposal was presented by the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare with the aim of boosting the potato and sweetpotato sectors in India and across the South Asia region.
The new centre, known as CSARC, will play a pivotal role in enhancing food and nutrition security, increasing farmers’ income, and generating employment by improving productivity, post-harvest processing, and value addition of potato and sweetpotato crops.
India’s potato industry holds immense potential to create jobs across multiple sectors, including production, processing, packaging, transportation, and marketing. Recognising this opportunity, the government is taking a significant step toward unlocking this potential through international collaboration and advanced agricultural research.
The CSARC will focus on the development of high-yielding, climate-resilient, and nutrient-rich varieties of potato and sweetpotato. These innovations are expected to strengthen the entire value chain, helping farmers adopt more sustainable and profitable practices. The centre will also serve as a hub for scientific research, capacity-building, and knowledge exchange in collaboration with regional partners.
This initiative aligns with India’s broader vision to modernise its agriculture sector through global partnerships, advanced research, and farmer-centric innovations. Once operational, the centre is expected to contribute to the overall agricultural development of the region and support smallholder farmers with improved technologies and practices.
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