Farmers drawn towards potato seeds

Lalitpur, August 30 – Potato is cultivated on around 7,500 hectares of land across the country using potato seed instead of the seed potato.

 

According to Ramchandra Adhikari, Senior Scientist at National Potato Research Office, potato is cultivated using this technology in Dolakha, Bhaktapur, Chitwan, and Kavrepalanchowk district, currently.

 

Adhikari said that this technology was in practice in the districts since last few years as the traditional potato farming using the seed potato was expensive, difficult to control disease, and needed large amount of potatoes for cultivation.

 

Farmers preferred cultivating Barnashanker species of potato cultivated on this technology in the districts as it was easier to manage seed. The modern technology of cultivating potato has less possibilities of being damaged, especially from blight.

 

The seed technology is cheaper for cultivation. As much as two tonnes of potato is needed to cultivate potato through traditional technology at one hectares of land. So, seed potato worth Rs. 54,000 is needed if the seed potato costs Rs.27 per kg.

 

One the other hand, cultivating the potato through seed technology needs only 100 grams seeds and cost only Rs. 50 per gram so seed of Rs. 5,000 is sufficient for one hectares of land.The technology has been popular in a gradually, said Adhikari.

 

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