Pakistan eyes China to boost potato industry

Envoy says Islamabad ranks among largest potato producers in world

BEIJING:

Pakistan plans to increase potato production and grab a share in the Chinese market through modern Chinese technology and high-quality seeds, said Pakistani authorities.

Commercial Counsellor of Pakistan Embassy in Beijing Badaruz Zaman said that Pakistan was one of the largest potato producers in the world.

“Local consumption is around 4 to 5 million tons. We will have a good surplus quantity to export to regional countries,” he told China Economic Net.

“We have also taken up the issue with the Chinese government. In Pakistan, we are introducing machinery from China in many processing plants.”

Prices of fries and preserved well-shelved potatoes are extremely high compared with the potato on farm, therefore “we need to improve the whole process,” Zaman said.

He added that China has achieved a very high yield per hectare owing to its high-yielding varieties of seeds and efficiency. Post-harvest processing in China is also impressive as the country uses machinery and the process is highly mechanised.

Similar things, if introduced in Pakistan, will help the country take potato production a step further, he said.

“We are using archaic methods and too much labour is involved as the processes are manual. The main issue is the lack of mechanisation. We also need cold storage to increase the shelf life but we lack the grading machinery.”

Potato Growers Association Vice President Chaudhry Maqsood Ahmad Jutt, who is also Chairman of Potato Research and Development Board, told China Economic Net that in Pakistan, seven districts of Punjab including Okara, Pakpattan, Sahiwal, Khanewal, Vehari, and Multan contribute more than 60% of potato produced in Pakistan.

Chakwal is one of the booming destinations for potato cultivation as well, he said, adding that high production in these areas is mainly due to better irrigation facility.

“Pakistan lacks an efficient seed supply system, new varieties of seeds, technical capacity and training of farmers and it has inadequate resource allocation to seed systems,” he said.

“The cost of imported seeds is high and most farmers rely on poor quality seed due to shortage of funds, which results in poor yield and China intends to help us in all these areas.”

Jutt is convinced that China is a huge market for Pakistani potatoes because the price of potatoes is higher in China, especially from January to April while the potato crop is being cultivated in Pakistan during this period and it is available at a lower price.

He added that Pakistan already fulfills all international standards and exports potatoes to almost all continents, but he believes that with the help of China, the country can further improve the quality and per acre production.

THE ARTICLE ORIGINALLY APPEARED ON THE CHINA ECONOMIC NET

 

Published in The Express Tribune, March 30^th, 2022.

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