Bhubaneswar, Dec 8: ‘Potato Mission’ hasn’t failed claimed Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment Minister Pradeep Maharathy in the Odisha Assembly yesterday. Rather the acreage under potato cultivation in the state was 59 percent more in 2015 as compared to that in 2014, he informed.
This year potato yield has been estimated to increase by 20 percent. Last time there was bumper yield. But the produce couldn’t get a suitable price in the market. For that reason, people had stopped cultivating potato in 2015-16. The Minister told the House that in the coming year if soil fertility and weather conditions are favourable, arrangements will be made for potato seed production at Semiliguda.