Field Day Potato India

On December 10 and 11, 2014, the first Field Day Potato India was organized in Sarabha, Punjab. Visitors had the opportunity to learn about all stages of the potato cultivation process and to experience modern machinery and equipment by leading German companies in action.

India is the second largest producer of potato worldwide, almost 13 % of the world’s potato production is covered in India: In 2013/2014 an amount of 46.6 million tons was produced on an area of 2 million ha. However, the enormous potential for the potato production still cannot be fully utilized. Therefore, the objective of the field day, which was organized by the DLG (German Agricultural Society) together with the German Agribusiness Alliance at OAV, was to show opportunities to raise efficiency in the production and processing through the application of modern technology and methods in practice.

The event was supported by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture. Attending the field demonstrations and discussions with experts, more than 500 visitors used the opportunity to inform themselves about innovative solutions. Beyond Punjab, farmers and company representatives from Haryana, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Orissa arrived to the event. Senior officials from ministries, administration and academic institutions have participated.

On December 11, 2014, Shri Sanjeev Chopra, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India, visited the Field Day, he was accompanied by Dr. Gurkanwal Singh, Director Horticulture and CEO Horticulture Mission Punjab. Furthermore, a delegation of the Punjab Agricultural University, horticulture department, attended the event. The Field Day covered the entire value chain of the potato. The exhibiting companies Bayer CropScience India Ltd., Grimme Landmaschinenfabrik GmbH, K+S Fertilizers (India) Pvt. Ltd. and Lemken India Agro Equipment Pvt. Ltd. presented modern technology and methods ranging from topics like soil prepara-
tion, planting, plant protection, fertilization and harvesting.

The company Technico Agro Sciences Ltd (ITC Group) supported the event. Tractors were provided by Tafe Limited, while solutions for storage and transport were shown by the company PW Morys. The acreage for the Field Day was provided by the family Singh Grewal in the village of Sarabha near Ludhiana in Punjab.

“We are convinced that by using innovative technological solutions at all stages of the value chain – particularly in the cultivation, harvesting, storage, transportation and processing stages – the quantity and quality of food and especially potato can be significantly raised and most important of all, yields and income of farmers can be raised. In this regard, progress cannot be imagined without significant improvement in soil health, improved seed varieties and hybrids, an integrated pest management and farm mechanization, to name some of the major focus areas only – which are all covered at the Field Day Potato India”,

Joerg Rehbein, Spokesman India of the German Agribusiness Alliance at OAV.