MANDI: Farmers of the tribal district of Lahaul-Spiti heaved a sigh of relief after the Central government lifted the ban on the marketing of Lahaul seed potato out of the state.

Earlier, the Central Government had banned the marketing of Himachal seed potato, dealing a big blow to the farmers.
On Monday, Agriculture Minister Ram Lal Markanda took up the matter with the Centre and urged it to lift the ban from the areas where the presence of potato cyst nematode was not detected.

In the Gazette of India issued on October 12, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Farmers’ Welfare had issued a notification stating that the Central Government has prohibited the movement of seed potato from Himachal, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand and Jammu & Kashmir to other states and union territories due to the presence of potato cyst nematode, a kind of small insect present in potato.

Talking to The Tribune, Agriculture Minister Ram Lal Markanda said, “The Centre has lifted the ban on the marketing of Lahaul seed potato. Lahaul-Spiti is known for producing quality seed potato, which is in huge demand in other states”.

The minister said seed potato in Lahaul-Spiti was found free from potato cysts nematode. In a few districts such as Kullu, Kangra, Shimla and Chamba, where at some places seed potato was found positive for potato cysts nematode, the Agriculture Department would work to make it free from nematode.

The farmers of Lahaul- Spiti expressed their gratitude to the agriculture minister for raising the issue with the Central government effectively. Ramesh Kumar Rulba, president, Zila Parishad, Lahaul-Spiti, said that farmers of the district were greatly relieved. They were in a state of shock after the decision of the Central government to ban seed potato marketing out of the state.