As potato harvesting and exports gain momentum, farmers from central Punjab’s potato belt expect 20% additional yields and better exports this year.
Officials have set a target of 3.6m tonnes from just over 400,000 acres sown this season, while farmers think that the production can go up to 4.3m tonnes.
In view of the expected output, growers worry that the current lower price level may drop if the exports do not gain momentum. At present, the price for better quality potato is around Rs1,400/120kg.
The formal export process is also gaining momentum because the Russian ban on potato imports from Egypt and Bangladesh last year which is still in place. And a new market, Yemen, has opened up this year. A Yemeni team visited Okara area a few months ago to inspect the crop and export process and cleared both. The export to Yemen has started. The traditional markets like the Gulf and the Far East region also remain in place.
source: dawn.com
