The globally cultivated Black Potato is known by various names such as Vitelotte, Adirondack Blue, Shetland Black, Purple Peruvian, Purple Majesty, All Blue, and Congo. In comparison to traditional white potatoes, black potatoes offer a slightly nuttier flavour and a denser texture, with an earthier taste profile.
Ravi Prakash Maurya, a 40-year-old farmer, has gained recognition as a ‘Black Potato Champion’. Over the past five years, Maurya has been growing black potatoes and encouraging farmers across 15 different Indian states to follow suit. Following his father’s passing in 2016, Maurya returned to his hometown of Mansoorpur in Prayagraj and began farming there. He focuses on cultivating a variety of “black crops,” including potatoes, rice, wheat, tomatoes, niger seeds, turmeric, and ginger, all with one thing in common, their colour and presence of antioxidants.
Maurya’s interest in cultivating black potatoes stemmed from their rich content of health-promoting antioxidants, which he initially acquired from a farmer in Rae Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh. While locally known as “Kaala Aaloo” (black potato), the true colour of the potato reveals a deep purple hue when cut open.
Delving into the details of this unique vegetable in India, Kufri Neelkanth, an antioxidant rich potato variety developed by ICAR-Central Potato Research Institute, Shimla belongs to this family. The variety is suitable for cultivation in the states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttraakhand plains, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh and similar agro-ecologies. The variety is fertilizer responsive and capable of yielding 35–38 t/ha under optimum agronomical practices. The tubers of the hybrid are dark purple black, ovoid in shape with medium deep eyes, cream flesh, good storability, medium dry matter (18%) and medium dormancy with excellent flavour. The tubers are easy to cook, free from after cooking discolouration and have mealy texture.