Context :

From 2020, potato growers in domestic and international market will be able to differentiate Punjab’s potato from other states, as Punjab Agri Export Corporation (PAGREXCO) will deploy blockchain technology to undertake certification and traceability of seed potato right from nucleus to seed level (harvest) with the help of a Bengaluru-based company as technology partner.

What is Blockchain Technology?

A Blockchain is a decentralized, distributed and typically publicly accessible digital ledger that is used to record transactions across many computers so that any involved record cannot be altered retroactively, without the alteration of all subsequent blocks. The technology allows digital information to be distributed, but not copied. 

Benefits :

• By leveraging blockchain technology, the potato farmers would be able to trace the origin of the seeds they buy.
• Using technologies such as barcode and QR code, the software solution will allow the farmers to cross check whether they are buying the genuine seeds hailing from Punjab or not.
• This initiative will protect the interests of Punjab farmers with better realisations.
• It will uphold the state’s leadership position as the largest potato seed producing state.

?Modus Operandi of the Project :

• The farmers’ data base will be digitised besides providing them access to technical knowhow on crop planning and management, inputs, credit, post-harvest management, value addition, and improved market linkages.
• The quality of seeds would be checked before sowing and will also be geo-tagged. The main objective of geo-tagging is to check falsification of plantation claims.
• Regular inspection of the field will be undertaken to keep a check on the inputs and disease. 
• The centralised platform would also help in capturing all relevant information through a simple mobile application and give dashboard-based insights on the data captured thereby ensuring traceability of the entire value chain. 
• The entire process will be managed through software and the certifying authority will do the due certification through the software only so that transparency is maintained. 
• Once the process is completed, the agency, upon receiving the seeds and the QR Code, will apply it atop the package as tracking method until it reaches the retailers. ?

In order to scale up this work and to protect the interest of small farmers of Punjab, PAGREXCO will undertake the activities pertaining to branding and certification of the seed potato of Punjab, forward linkages within India and abroad for marketing and sale of Punjab potato seed. All these initiatives and steps, if implemented on the ground in right ernest, have the potential to usher in prosperity for potato growers in Punjab. Also, this model can then be replicated to various commodities in the State.