Chairman of Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry's (FPCCI) Standing Committee on Horticulture and Agriculture Produce, Ahmad Jawad, has demanded of the government to give subsidy in freight to potato exporters so as to facilitate them in achieving their targets of 2015, especially that of dried potatoes. Hailing the government's decision of imposing ban on the import of potatoes, he hoped said that the potato's crops would be in surplus as the farmers, this year, had planted the crop on more than 10 per cent area.
Talking to Business Recorder, Jawad said that government's decision of allowing subsidy in freight to the exporters of potato would help in enhancing the export of Pakistani potatoes in the international markets, especially in Russia, Iraq and Afghanistan. Attributing decline in potatoes' export in the past to tough competition from China, India and Bangladesh, he said that India has always been expanding production and export of potatoes internationally and regionally.
"Some of our potato exporters with a view to honouring their international commitments were forced to send their consignments to different countries after buying potatoes from Bangladesh," he claimed. He said that average production of potatoes which was around 1.43 million tonnes between 1995 and 2000, increased to 1.86m tonnes during 2001 and 2005, while its production shop up to 2.55m tonnes in the next five years, thereby indicating an increase in its cultivation area as well as its average per hectare yield.
Moreover, wider use of two varieties of new seeds - one for white and the other for the red potatoes - have contributed to higher production in recent years, he added. He was of the view that only agriculture sector could boost the country's economy in the shortest possible time.
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