Agra, India, 14 October 2026. Shri Surya Pratap Shahi, Cabinet Minister for Agriculture, Agricultural Education and Agricultural Research, Government of Uttar Pradesh, visited the farm of the CIP South Asia Regional Center (CSARC) at Singna, Agra, on 14 October 2026. He was joined by Dr. M K Shanmuga Sundaram, Principal Secretary (Agriculture); Shri Tryambak Mani Tripathi, Director of Agriculture, Government of Uttar Pradesh; Dr. Ashutosh Kumar Mishra of the Uttar Pradesh Beej Vikas Nigam (UPBVN); and a team of departmental officers.
The delegation reviewed the progress of the Center’s infrastructure and the research and demonstration activities planned for the coming rabi season, and planted saplings on the farm. Earlier in the day, the Minister and the Principal Secretary had visited the CSARC stall at the joint Mandaliya Rabi Utpadakta Goshthi held at the Commissioner’s Sabhagar, Agra.
The visit was significant in the context of the state government’s priorities of increasing potato and sweetpotato productivity in Uttar Pradesh, strengthening quality seed systems, raising farmer incomes and promoting modern, climate-resilient farming technologies.
Looking beyond production to the whole value chain
In his discussion with the CSARC scientific team, the Minister emphasised that research on potato and sweetpotato should not remain confined to increasing production alone. It should develop technologies that help farmers across the entire value chain, from cultivation and seed production to processing, storage and marketing. He said priority should go to technologies that reduce the cost of cultivation, improve product quality and raise farmer incomes.
At the farm, the Minister viewed different sweetpotato varieties and showed interest in the possibilities for research and technological development in this area. He stressed the importance of linking CSARC’s efforts to the needs of farmers and of taking research outcomes to the field as practical farming solutions.
Advanced research and international cooperation
Dr. Shanmuga Sundaram placed particular emphasis on promoting advanced research in sweetpotato alongside potato. He called for strengthening South-South Cooperation through CSARC, and for scientific evaluation of the usefulness, under Indian conditions, of improved potato and sweetpotato varieties and technologies developed in different countries.
He said Indian agriculture should benefit from the experience of international research institutions, advanced genetic resources and new technologies, and that this would require research and varietal development in line with local agro-climatic conditions, farmers’ needs and market demand.
Low-cost technologies and quality seed on display
At the Goshthi, Dr. Sunil Chaudhari, Associate Scientist (Potato Breeding and Product Development), CIP, shared information on CSARC’s major areas of work and on advanced potato production technologies. The CSARC stall presented potato varieties for processing and table use, the Apical Rooted Cuttings (ARC) technique for early generation quality seed production, and the zero tillage with straw mulch (PZTM) potato production system.
The Minister and the Principal Secretary discussed the usefulness of these technologies with the CSARC scientific team and showed particular interest in the low-cost PZTM technology and in the ARC method for quality G0 seed production. Farmers from Agra, Aligarh, Bareilly and surrounding areas also visited the stall, and many expressed interest in learning and adopting ARC for their own quality seed production.
A farm taking shape, and saplings in the ground
At Singna, the delegation was received by Dr. Sudhanshu Singh, Director, CSARC, and briefed on the current status of the farm, the progress of construction and basic facilities, and the research and demonstration activities proposed for the coming rabi season. The Minister and the Principal Secretary planted saplings on the farm.
They appreciated the progress made towards establishing the Center, emphasised the need to accelerate field-level activities, and expressed confidence that CSARC will develop into an important regional center for potato and sweetpotato research, demonstration and training, benefiting farmers across Uttar Pradesh and South Asia.
CSARC aims to make potato and sweetpotato based farming systems more productive, sustainable and profitable in Uttar Pradesh and across South Asia, through scientific research, national and international partnerships and farmer-centred technologies. In line with the state government’s priorities, the Center is committed to taking to farmers the technologies that improve production and quality while strengthening their incomes and the long-term sustainability of agriculture.