Lucknow, September 07, 2021: The ‘PlantingMaster Potato+’, the new advanced Precision Potato Planting machine launched by Mahindra last season, has seamlessly enabled Potato growers in Uttar Pradesh to generate higher yield and enhanced quality. Progressive farmers who adopted the new machine, have reported a 20% increase in potato yield over traditional methods.

Designed and developed in collaboration with Europe-based partner Dewulf, a global leader in potato machinery, the new PlantingMaster Potato+ is efficient and flexible, and suits Indian farming conditions. The advanced planting machine has a higher capacity, high planting speed with good accuracy and allows gentle handling of seed potatoes. The machine is also provided with fertilizer application units.

The new PlantingMaster Potato+ is available for sale in Uttar Pradesh at an attractive price. On a rental basis the potato planting machine is available through Mahindra’s Krish-e centres and rental entrepreneurs. The product is backed by easy access to spares & service at the farmers’ doorstep through Mahindra tractor dealerships and is also available through finance, along with a 1-year manufacturer warranty.

India is among the top 3 potato producing nations in the world, but lags in yield. Yield per acre in India is 8.5 tonnes/ acre compared to the Netherlands which has a yield of approximately 17 tonnes/ acre, with many elements determining the level of crop yield. The use of appropriate farm machinery is one of the more important elements.

“Potato is a highly labour-intensive crop requiring manpower for multiple operations, with mechanisation of the crop very low in India, in comparison with agriculturally developed countries. Deployment of the new ‘PlantingMaster Potato+’ over the last couple of seasons by progressive farmers has been rewarding, providing numerous benefits related to productivity, yield and quality. Going forward we look forward to working with potato growers across the country, to embrace precision planting of the potato crop for improvement in their output, for productivity and profitability of their businesses, while contributing to the sustainability of the potato industry.” explained Kairas Vakharia – Senior Vice President, Farm Machinery, M&M Ltd.

Regular automatic potato planters are widely used in India and have many drawbacks. The PlantingMaster Potato+ is a precision potato planter that ensures a high level of singulation, accurate and high-speed planting and no missing potato seeds. (Singulation means only one potato is planted in one spot and there is no doubling-- that is, two potatoes planted in a single spot).

Additionally, the planter ensures that potatoes are planted accurately, with a uniform depth and seed to seed distance. The ridges created over the planted potatoes have just the right level of soil compaction, ensuring that each plant has enough water, sunlight and space to grow, developing healthy tubers, resulting in increased crop yields and potato quality.

Also, the planter design can be adjusted for changes in agronomy practices, such as for whole potatoes or cut potatoes, straight line planting or zig-zag planting and planting at various depths.

About Mahindra

Founded in 1945, the Mahindra Group is one of the largest and most admired multinational federation of companies with 260,000 employees in over 100 countries. It enjoys a leadership positionin farm equipment, utility vehicles, information technology and financial services in India and is the world’s largest tractor company by volume. It has a strong presence in renewable energy, agriculture, logistics, hospitality and real estate.

The Mahindra Group has a clear focus on leading ESG globally, enabling rural prosperity and enhancing urban living, with a goal to drive positive change in the lives of communities and stakeholders to enable them to Rise.

Learn more about Mahindra on www.mahindra.com / Twitter and Facebook: @MahindraRise/ For updates subscribe to https://www.mahindra.com/news-room

Media contact information

Arthur Serrao
Communications Team
Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.
Email – [email protected]