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Pakistan has reduced the import of potato seeds by 50 per cent as a result of strong public-private partnership in locally-certified potato production through planning and technical assistance.

The Netherlands is exploring the possibility of starting a programme to grow salt-tolerant potatoes in Pakistan.

Private companies have been urged to launch a multiplication of Dutch potato seeds in Pakistan with a view to reducing input cost of farmers as well as establishing a vibrant seed industry in the country

Pakistan is expected to have a bumper potato crop this season, which can fetch a record foreign exchange, said an official of Ministry of National Food Security and Research (NFSR).

As farmers in Pakistan are getting ready for the harvest, false rumors are spread that the Pakistani government has imposed duty on the export of potatoes.

Provincial Minister for Agriculture, Dr. Farrukh Javed has said that Pakistan is capable of exporting up to one million tons of potato because of its bumper crop this year.

Pakistan is to allow duty-free import of another 100.000 tonnes of potatoes - in addition to the earlier approved 200.000 tonnes.

Despite the assurances by the government, the price of potatoes in Pakistan has increased.

The imposition of 25 per cent regulatory duty on potato exports from Pakistan and making its import at zero per cent have yet to make the vegetable cheaper in domestic markets.

Pakistan's Federal Minister for Finance Senator Ishaq Dar said on Monday the government will withdraw all levies and duties on potato import, if its prices in the local market are not brought down to less than Rs30 per kilogramme in the next 72 hours.

The Agribusiness Project, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) organized a week-long training on Seed Potato Production Technologies in Pakistan.

Export of fresh potato crop from Pakistan has started and the volumes are likely to expand because of increased estimated output and strong foreign demand.

Vegetable exporters in Pakistan have demanded of the government a subsidy on exports of potato to remain competitive at world markets at a time when Pakistan is poised to produce the commodity in surplus this year.

Pakistan first state of the art potato washing and grading machine was installed in Karachi, which could help boost potato’s dwindling export during the current year.

Growers and traders of potatoes are likely to suffer losses worth nearly Rs7 billion as the exports of the vegetable have been halted due to the negligence of the government.

Pakistani exporters of potato are facing a loss of millions of dollars as Russia has stopped clearance of consignments after complaining that the potatoes from Pakistan are infected with a disease.

Pakistani potato growers and farmers have been suffering colossal financial losses in the face of halt to export and lack of subsidies by the government to help them overcome their miseries.

The demand of Pakistani potato witnessed a surge in the Indian market, said an exporter on Thursday.