The Upper Siang Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) in Geku, Arunachal Pradesh, has been promoting scientific potato cultivation in Sumsing village since 2021. Under the ICAR-IARI NEH programme on potato, the KVK has been distributing quality seed tubers of improved varieties free of cost and providing continuous technical guidance to farmers.
Prior to the intervention, potato cultivation in Sumsing was limited to small kitchen gardens for household consumption. Farmers used seed tubers purchased from the local market without knowing the variety, and potatoes were grown only during the winter season, following the conventional belief that potato is strictly a rabi crop.
However, with the KVK’s intervention, farmers have been able to cultivate potatoes year-round. One such beneficiary farmer, Oyem Paron Taku, used the kufri jyoti variety supplied by the KVK and began experimenting with potato planting at different times of the year. Despite being an old variety, kufri jyoti performed remarkably well under the local conditions, proving that a well-adapted variety can continue to outperform newer ones.
Taku adopted a batch-wise staggered planting system and observed crop performance across different planting windows. Her experience revealed that there is no fixed season for planting potatoes in Sumsing village, and potatoes can be grown successfully throughout the year under the village’s unique microclimatic conditions. She found that the crop planted in February, March, and April and harvested in July consistently produced the highest yield, with larger and better-quality tubers.
The KVK noted that Taku’s success demonstrates the importance of combining scientific guidance with farmers’ practical knowledge and willingness to innovate. Her experience is expected to encourage more farmers in Sumsing and other similarly situated areas of Upper Siang district to adopt year-round potato cultivation.
