Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has been pressing Union Minister of Food Processing Industries, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, for inclusion of his state in “The Operation Greens” (TOP) scheme for promotion of potato production cluster.
In a letter to Badal, the Chief Minister has expressed concern at Punjab’s exclusion from the selected list of states for promoting the potato production cluster, a spokesperson for the Chief Minister said.
Pointing out that the area under potato cultivation in Punjab is nearly 100,000 hectare, the Chief Minister said the state is at a 7th position in terms of area under cultivation and at 6th in production of potatoes in the country. He pointed out that Punjab is the hub for seed potato production, with the advantage of an aphid-free window during October-December and favourable agro-climatic conditions.
Urging the Minister to reconsider the decision to keep the state out of the scheme, the Chief Minister further pointed out that Punjab is supplying seed potato to other states, apart from meeting its own demand. “Not only that, it had great potential to enhance potato seed production in view of its geographic location and climatic conditions,” he told.
