Jalandhar, in Punjab, India, is set to establish an ultramodern potato center of excellence, which will develop under the aegis Indo-Dutch joint agriculture workgroup with a focus on quality seed potato, suitable farm mechanization and disease management technologies.

The centre will come up at a cost of Rs 785 lakh on 56 acres where facilities like tissue culture, agronomics, net houses, cold store, laboratory for routine tests, drip fustigation, solar pumps, planting machines, grading and packing equipment.

The center will have advisory body of experts from the Netherlands with involvement of state horticulture mission, agriculture department of the embassy of the Netherlands, Dutch experts and members of the Dutch potato centre. The centre will become functional by year-end.

Disclosing this on Sunday, an official spokesman of the state agriculture department said the centre would showcase added value of mechanism and management practices. He said latest technology agronomics would be used to meet the emerging need of virus-free and certified seed potato, according to hindustantimes.com.