All India Co ordinated Research Project on Tuber Crops (Other Than Potato) was initiated during the Fourth Plan in 1968.  The Headquarters of the project is currently located at the Central Tuber Crops Research Institute, Trivandrum.  At present there are twelve centres, ten of them are located at different State Agricultural Universities and two  are under the ICAR Institutes at ICAR Research Complex for N.E.H. Region, Shillong and   Central Agricultural Research Institute, Port Blair.

 The important crops covered under the project include Cassava, Sweet Potato, Colocasia, Dioscorea, Amorphophallus and Pachyrrhizus.  The germplasm collection of minor tuber crops like Dioscorea bulbifera, Arrowroot, Coleus, Xanthosoma etc., are also being taken care of.  Thesecrops are important as food, feed and raw materials for  agro-based industries.  They are grown in poor soil with less inputs and even under drought and unfavourable conditions.In southern states especially in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, Cassava is grown on a large scale.  In Kerala, it is grown mostly as a food crop whereas in Tamil Nadu it is grown as an industrial crop for the supply of raw material to agro-based industries particularly for the production of starch and sago.  More than 80 per cent of the area of sweet potato is in eastern India which contribute towards 90 per cent 

of the production of the country.  Next to cereals, sweet potato is the most important crop in the state of Bihar and plays an important role in its agrarian economy.  Its vines are a cheap source of fodder.  Sweet potato can be grown in poor soil with less inputs and is the highest yielder per unit areas and per unit time.  The crops like Colocasia and Amorphophallus are being used as vegetable and emphasis has been given to increase their production and improve their quality.  Similarly, minor tuber crops also need attention for genetic improvement and standardization of suitable agro techniques.