Jammu sends first consignment of locally grown LR Potato variety to processing unit

JAMMU : The first consignment of about 145 bags of processing variety of Potato, Lady Rossetta was flagged off today for Anantjeet Nutriments LLP, Jammu (Halidram’s India Ltd), Bari Brahmana, by Joint Director of Agriculture (Inputs), A S Reen under the technical supervision of Potato Development Scheme, Jammu.

This initiative was taken under the guidance of Principal Secretary Agriculture Production & Farmers Welfare, J&K, Naveen Chaudhary and instructions of Director of AP & FW, Jammu, K. K. Sharma.

Potato Development Officer Jammu, Susheel Rattan Sharma, was also present on the occasion.

The Joint Director informed that the Rossetta variety is cultivated in Bishnah and Arnia area of Jammu and the samples of few progressive growers were submitted to the quality testing laboratory of the Halidram’s Jammu plant and the sample of Basant Saini, a progressive grower of Arnia was approved for procurement after thorough testing for various quality parameters. A S Reen further urged the potato growers of Jammu to come forward and take up the cultivation of processing varieties of Potato to match the quality parameters of big food chains.

Pertinent to mention here that Potato L R variety is crispy, sugerfree and high yielding best suited to meet the raw material needs of the Jammu based Potato chips industry. This initiative will facilitate the farmers in getting the better returns of their produce and industrialists will get cheaper raw material as earlier required potatoes were being procured from outside the UT.

Basant Saini, the progressive grower of Arnia appreciated the efforts of the Department of Agriculture, Jammu in extending the technical handholding to the growers for production of processing standard potato tubers. He also appealed to other growers to take up the potato cultivation on scientific lines for increasing their income.