007. 🍠Orange Roots, Golden Health – The Sweet Revolution of SP-95/4
Agriculture, Health & Nutrition, Tribal Development, Science & Tech
By IAS Monk / April 1, 2025
In the hills of Attappady, and across the tribal belts of India, a golden-fleshed tuber quietly rises from the soil—not just as food, but as medicine, hope, and empowerment.
Developed by the ICAR-Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (CTCRI), the new sweet potato variety SP-95/4 brings with it the promise to fight Vitamin A deficiency, a persistent public health concern among tribal populations.
🌿 The Sweet Potato That Heals
- ✨ 8 mg/100g Beta-Carotene – powerful source of Vitamin A
- 🥔 Average tuber size: 300g, fusiform shape ideal for processing
- 🌾 Successfully trialed in Odisha, West Bengal, Karnataka, Kerala
The tuber is a seed of resistance—against hunger, deficiency, and despair.
🌱 Growth & Expansion
- Current cultivation: 10–15 acres
- Goal: Expand to 100 acres by end of 2025
- Plans include processing unit via CSR funding
- Trials in Attappady show excellent yield and adaptability
🧪 Two Initiatives Backing the Cultivation
- Rainbow Diet Programme (2023) – promotes biofortified tubers
- Punarjeevanam (2024) – joint effort of Kudumbashree + CTCRI
Both focus on enhancing dietary diversity and supporting tribal nutrition security
🏥 Public Health Impact
- Vitamin A deficiency leads to vision loss, poor immunity
- SP-95/4 aims to integrate nutrition with agriculture
- Builds a self-reliant model of health through food
đź“š Relevance for UPSC
- GS2: Health, Welfare Schemes, Tribal Development
- GS3: Agriculture, Biotechnology, Food Security
- Essay: “Sometimes the most powerful medicine is grown beneath our feet.”
✨ Closing Whisper
“From earth to flesh, this orange root carries the light of a healthier tomorrow.”
🔥 A Thought Spark – by IAS Monk
What if nutrition was not something we added to our meals, but something we grew ourselves?
The sweet potato SP-95/4 is not merely a crop—it’s a policy rooted in the soil, a solution shaped like sustenance.
Let the golden root rise—where medicine meets the humble hand.
