01

POLICY
BRIEF
April 2023

© Deepa Toni

A quality mark for potato seeds in India

After extensive deliberations with different stakeholders

including government officials, Haryana State Seed
Certification Agency (HSSCA), and seed producers, the
Government of Haryana with support from the CIP team
launched the Har Aloo potato seed quality certification system.

Background Potato seed production system in India

When it comes to human consumption, potato is
the third most important food crop in India after
rice and wheat and is considered a staple crop, a
vegetable crop and as cash crop. Despite more
than fivefold increase in production from 8.3.
million tons in 1980 to 50 million tons in 2020
and holding the rank of second largest producer
and consumer of potato, the sector continues to
struggle with several constraints, in particular,
lack of affordable and available quality planting
material for smallholder producers.
Most potato seeds in India are produced using aeroponic
technology by private companies. Companies buy mother
cultures from the Central Potato Research Institute (CPRI)
and multiply them in tissue culture laboratories, resulting
in tissue culture plantlets. The plantlets are then placed
on Styrofoam sheets in growing boxes in a high-tech
temperature-controlled facility and fed with nutrient
solutions which are sprayed onto their roots. The plantlets
produce mini tubers which are then harvested at regular
intervals and planted in open fields by both seed companies
and contracted seed-producing farmers to produce first-
generation (G1) seeds. Once G1 seeds are produced, further
multiplication up to fifth-generation seeds takes place also
in open fields, often by seed-producing farmers.

Policy Brief 01-23

The challenge: No quality guarantee the logo of Thai Hom Mali rice certification, a stringent
process has been put in place for usage of the Har Aloo
Seed companies often purchase seeds directly from quality certification by Haryana potato seed producers.
farmers who in turn purchase mini tubers which they
multiply in their fields. As there is currently no central
quality control monitoring mechanism for seeds
multiplied by farmers, those farmers who buy them
lack quality guarantees. This includes seeds labelled as
early generation which may or may not actually be early
generation. At the same time, each company has its own
quality control monitoring mechanism which makes
the situation even more challenging when it comes to
quality guarantees for farmers.
As part of its Small Farmers Large Field (SFLF) group
initiative – a collective action model for improving the
livelihoods of small farmers in India – CIP put this to the
test, facilitating the purchase of thousands of metric tons
of seeds from ‘reputable’ seed companies. The results of
CIP’s examination of the ‘Truthfully-Labelled Seeds’, as
they are referred to in India, revealed several instances of Figure 1. Green Logo of Thai Homa Mali Rice
poor-quality seeds, including some infected with seed-
borne diseases. After extensive consultations with government officials,
the state certification agency and seed producers, the
As potato seed costs are high and account for nearly
Government of Haryana with support from the CIP team
half of the total production cost, potato farmers are
launched the Har Aloo potato seed quality certification
reluctant to invest large sums in seed purchases without
system and finalized its logo (Figure 2).
quality guarantees and end up using cheap local seeds
or discarded table potatoes from the local market, which
in turn, results in lower yields than those from quality
seeds.

The solution: Har Aloo – a quality mark for

potato
CIP, in collaboration with the Potato Technology Center,
at the Department of Horticulture, Government of
Haryana set out to develop a potato seed quality mark to
assure quality and authenticity. The goal was to develop
a system that gave farmers a degree of confidence in
the quality of purchased potato seeds. The quality mark
would guarantee that the potato seed originated from
Haryana and meets the quality standards defined by the
Government of Haryana. After extensive deliberations
with different stakeholders including government Figure 2. Har Aloo Logo
officials, Haryana State Seed Certification Agency
(HSSCA), and seed producers, the Government of How the seed certification process works
Haryana with support from the CIP team launched the
The first step is to identify seed producers with
Har Aloo potato seed quality certification system.
adequate experience, (Figure 3). These seed producers
Har Aloo is the first of its kind for potato seeds and was then register – either individually or as a group – with
developed along the same lines as the green logo of Thai the HSSCA by paying a license fee. They then receive
Hom Mali rice (Figure 1), a stamp of authenticity from hands-on training on production practices including
Thailand’s Department of Foreign Trade and Ministry of isolation and other preventive measures to protect crops
Commerce. In much the same way that rice producers from pests and diseases. The HSSCA visits their field at
go through an elaborate process to get the right to use specified intervals to carry out various checks (Figure 3).
 • Interested growers request seed from the Potato Technology Center
Application

• Includes meeting with seed growers and history of seed multiplication by grower
Verification
of Seed
Grower

• Group seed producers to form association to reduce paperwork

Association • Each association registers with the District Horticulture Office for seed sale licence with INR
Formation
1,000 (USD 12) fee valid for five years
• Seed Certification License of firm from the Haryana State Seed Certification Agency (HSSCA)
• Training of seed producers on recommended production practices

Crop inspections at specified intervals by HSSCA

Seed • First inspection 30-35 days after planting or 15 days after germination to verify isolation,
Certification off-types, the extent of disease inspection with special reference to mild and severe
mosaics and leaf roll
• Second inspection: 60-65 days after planting to verity above crieterias and black scruff
infected plants
• Third inspection: Just before haulm cutting to verify off types and virus infected plants
• Final inspection: 10 days after haulm cutting to verify that no regrowth of haulm has
taken place
• Testing of the produce for grow out test

Figure 3. Har Aloo Quality Certification Process 2022

Traceability
Parallel to the seed certification exercise, as a part of
the traceability process, a digital database is being
updated where all the basic crop information, such
as planting, irrigation, dehaulming, and harvest is
recorded. Once the crop passes the HSSCA quality
checks and is awarded certification tags, a QR code
generated from this portal is awarded to the seed
grower. With this, the agency approves the use of the
Har Aloo quality mark on the seed bags and a QR code
is placed on the bags for traceability.

Progress so far and the way forward

In 2021 (the first year of the rollout of the program),
twelve seed growers registered with the Har Aloo
certification program. In 2022, the number increased
to 55, a number which is expected to increase to 200
in 2023.
© CIP/ S. Mohanty
Authors
Samarendu Mohanty, International Potato Center
Deepa Toni, International Potato Center
Sampriti Baruah, International Potato Center
P.C. Sindhu, Department of Horticulture, Government of Haryana

This work is jointly supported by the Government of Haryana and the Seed Equal research initiative of CGIAR

CIP thanks all donors and organizations that globally support its work through their contributions to the CGIAR Trust Fund. www.cgiar.org/funders/

© April 2023. This publication is copyrighted by the International Potato Center (CIP). It is licensed for use under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License