Potato cultivation taken up in Barmer to strengthen agricultural economy

Over 50 female farmers in the village have been trained on the methods of cultivation, of three types of potato

Potato farming. Image used for representative purpose only. | Photo Credit: R V Moorthy

As part of the efforts to strengthen the agricultural economy in western Rajasthan, a unique farming project has been launched in Barmer district’s Taratara Math village to grow potatoes, which will be supplied to a multinational frozen food company. Over 50 female farmers in the village have been trained on the methods of cultivation, of three types of potato.

Farmers in Barmer, situated in Thar desert adjacent to the India-Pakistan border, have been growing a limited variety of crops, such as pearl millet, chickpea and cumin because of dry weather and lack of ground water. In the recent years, the fields of vegetables and orchards of fruits have come up in the region following some innovations in agricultural practices.

The potato production is the latest venture which is expected to give a boost to agricultural output and provide employment to youths in the farm sector. Jaipur-based agritech startup, Growpital, has taken up potato cultivation at the land measuring 25 acres in Taratara Math, falling in Chohtan tehsil, after conducting extensive soil and water tests.

Growpital founder Rituraj Sharma said here on Friday that Canadian company McCain Foods had sent 32,500 kg of potato for seeding and vegetative propagation on the land, where the cultivation would be done with drip irrigation. “The Barmer-grown potatoes will be used for preparing French fries and other frozen food products. It will bring a paradigm shift in the agricultural practices in western Rajasthan,” Mr. Sharma said.

Lady Lolo, Kennebec and Santana

Farmer Vikram Singh, whose land is being utilised for potato cultivation following the signing of an agreement, has obtained 32 tonnes of organic manure from Rajasthan and neighbouring Gujarat, for potato cultivation. Three varieties of potato— Lady Lolo, Kennebec and Santana— were sown recently, while the production in the next three months is expected to range about 10 to 15 times more than the seeding quantity.

The number of women farmers connected to the task of potato cultivation is also likely to increase to about 200 shortly. Mr. Sharma said the contract farming projects taken up by his startup were accompanied by innovative scientific practices, which would provide employment opportunities to the farmers with doubling of their income.

Significantly, Taratara Math is the only place in Rajasthan from where the Canadian multinational company is procuring potatoes for its food products. The startup has claimed to have brought together farm expertise and business intelligence for the benefit of the rural cultivators.