KF Biotech, Cultivating Innovation: The Seed Potato travels from South to North India and to many other states.
The Birth of Innovation: KF Biotech’s Bangalore Facility
In the heart of India’s Biotech Capital, Bangalore, a tiny potato mini tuber begins its extraordinary journey. This is where KF Biotech, India’s leading giant in the high-quality seed potato industry, has established its roots since 2005. The company’s dedicated plant tissue culture-based production facility stands as an example to innovation in agricultural biotechnology.
State-of-the-Art Aeroponics: Nurturing the Future
At KF Biotech’s state-of-the-art aeroponics facility in Bangalore, millions of mini tubers are produced annually. These tiny powerhouses of potential are nurtured using cutting-edge technology, ensuring the highest quality and genetic purity. Currently, the facility produces about 15 million mini tubers, with plans underway to establish another production unit capable of generating an additional 10 million mini tubers.
The Flight to Punjab: A Journey of Promise
From Bangalore, these mini tubers embark on an air journey to Punjab, a state in northern India. This isn’t just any destination; Punjab has been declared a Pest Free Area of quarantine significance, making it the ideal location for seed multiplication programs. This strategic move ensures that the mini tubers are protected from potential diseases and pests, maintaining their pristine quality.
Kapur Farms: A Legacy of Excellence
The journey of these mini tubers is intrinsically linked to the rich history of Kapur Farms in Jalandhar, Punjab. Founded by the late Kapur Singh in the 1960s, Kapur Farms has been a prominent name in producing high-quality potato seeds for decades. KF Biotech, promoted by the Kapur Group of Companies, represents a backward integration into this legacy, bridging cutting-edge biotechnology with time-honored farming traditions.
Multiplication and Distribution: Spreading Across India
Once in Punjab, the mini tubers undergo a meticulous multiplication process. All seed potato operations, from field planting to post-harvest handling and storage, are executed in-house by experienced personnel. The resulting early-generation seed potatoes G1, G2 are further multilied to G3 and are then distributed to various states across India.
Cold Storage and Further Replication
To ensure availability and maintain quality, the tubers are stored in eight different cold stores spread across various geographies. This strategic distribution allows for subsequent replication as G1, G2, and G3 in the following years, ensuring a steady supply of high-quality seed potatoes to farmers across the country.
Varieties and Certification: Ensuring Quality and Diversity
KF Biotech offers a wide range of high-yielding potato cultivars, including Kufri Jyoti, K Pukhraj, K Badshah, K Lauvkar, K Chandramukhi, K Bahar, K Surya, K Chipsona 1, Atlantic, Hermes, Santana, and Bafana, among others. The G0 potato mini tubers are officially certified by the Accredited Test Laboratory of India, with germplasm sourced from respected institutions like the Central Potato Research Institute (CPRI), Shimla, India, and Stet Holland.
A Vision for the Future
Under the leadership of Chairman Mr. Ramanjit Singh, KF Biotech remains committed to its vision of supporting potato farmers across India. By maintaining strong connections with long-standing associates in the potato industry and continuously innovating, the company ensures that the journey of each mini tuber from Bangalore to Punjab and beyond contributes to the growth and sustainability of India’s agricultural sector.
At the helm of this potato multiplication process is Mr. Rajvir Singh, Vice President of KF Biotech. With more than 23 years of experience in potato seeds, Mr. Singh ensures that the seeds are multiplied maintaining the highest standards of quality and productivity throughout the process.
From its humble beginnings in a Bangalore laboratory to fields across India, the journey of a potato mini tuber represents not just agricultural innovation, but also the promise of food security and prosperity for farmers nationwide.
