OVER the years, potato has become an important crop for both farmers and consumers. It is the fourth most important crop in production. High yield and a rich nutritive value give good returns to farmers. From around 3,000 hectare, the area under potato production has increased to around 1,07,000 hectare with the average yield rising from around nine to 20 tons per hectare.
Pakistan is self-sufficient in potatoes for household consumption and relies for more than 99 per cent on locally produced seed potatoes. Presently, it is estimated that the total annual domestic production of around 1.8 million tons is available for consumption after post harvest losses.
The increase in acreage is reached after intensification in the existing area. A large number of farmers lack knowledge about cultivation technologies. These include pests and disease control, land preparation and irrigation, fertilizer application, crop rotation and multi-cropping pattern.
Lack of credit facilities creates difficulties, particularly for small farmers, while inhibiting their effort to raise the productivity. High quality costly seed forms another constraint. Seed contributes to about 35-40 per cent of the total production cost.
Supply of formal certified seed production is limited and faces technical, economical and managerial problems. Lack of seed availability and low purchasing power of farmers forces the farmers to rely on seeds of doubtful quality or of their own, for which, most do not have proper skills.
Post harvest handling of potatoes causes loss and reduction of consumption quality. Sufficient cold storage space is not available. The handling of potatoes in storage is unsatisfactory and poorly managed.
Finally, the farmers and consumers are faced with price fluctuations as production moves from glut to shortage, preventing the farmers from enjoying a reliable income and inhibiting consumers from including potato as a regular stable diet.
The national average yield per hectare is 17 tons, which is low as compared to other potato growing countries of the world e.g., the average tuber yield in the US and the Netherlands is 65 and 45 tons/ha, respectively.
In the Northern Areas (NAs), potato is the single cash crop grown on commercial scale. The crop has advantages as it remains less susceptible to viral diseases, insect pest’s attacks and blights in the naturally isolated valleys on high altitudes.
Potato of high altitudes is also preferred as compared to others areas due to its unique taste. Potato is mainly grown in the Nalter, Ghanche, Shigher, Khaploo Astore and Hunza valleys of the Northern Areas.
Last year, the crop grown in Astore valley has been declared as the best potato in the world. In the Northern Areas its cultivation is estimated at 6,483 hectares with an annual production of 72,660 tons and per hectare yield of 11.21 tons. This is considerably less than the national per acre yield.
Though adoption of modern technology in agriculture is being acquired but draught animals are still used to cultivate land in the research area. First, tractors are not affordable by the poor resource farmer; Second, due to nature of the land (terraces and difficulty in tractor use) 57 per cent of the area farmers use tractor for tillage, 17 per cent yak and 26 per cent use both the tractor and yak as power source.
It has been estimated that about 13,000-14,000 bags of certified seed are required to meet the demand of the Northern Areas. Seed of improved varieties for production is transported to the Northern Areas by private sector. Seed is also locally stored. Every year unscrupulous dealers transport uncertified seed during March-April. This has resulted in distribution of not only poor quality seed but also infesting the soils with various diseases.
Efforts are needed to check the flow of poor quality seed to and from the Northern Areas. Majority of the farmers (83 per cent) purchase potato seed from Skardu market. It is encouraging that the majority of 83 per cent of farmers annually change potato seed and some 17 per cent change after two or more years.
Potato crop is dominantly known as the diseased-oriented crop throughout the world. More than 95 per cent of the seed crop is met from the domestically-produced seed that suffers from a number of diseases. Four different varieties are grown in the research area, namely Raja, Altmus, Daseri and Cordinal. Around 86 per cent farmers sowed Raja variety of potato which gave the highest mean yield of 6,215kg/acre.
Potato is a potential crop which can be adopted as a food crop. It produces 524kg of protein per hectares as compared to wheat which produces 274kg protein per hectare. Potato is also a good source of trace elements. All potato growers sow ration crop of potato with mean area allocation of 0.83 acre and yield of 6075 kg/acre.
Seed is the carrier of the genetic potential for higher crop production. The seeds of improved varieties can enhance production by 10-20 per cent. Only seven per cent of farmers grow seed crop of potato with mean area of 0.13 acre and yield of 5867kg/acre. Seed crop growing farmers sow Desire and Raja varieties.
In Pakistan most growers sell their produce in local markets or to traders from outside, or directly to major markets by organizing their own transport. Growers sell at the local market because of better price expectations, close distance to the market, credit arrangements and contacts with commission agents, and difficulties in arranging transport. In Shiger valley local contractors and commission agents are major purchasing agencies. They play the role of assembler and sell the potato in Skardu to traders from the down-country.
Most of these agents make transactions at fields. Local contractors and commission agents purchase the produce from the farmers. Along with these two agencies, commission agents-Skardu, commission agents-down country and wholesalers-Skardu are other purchasing agencies in the area.
As far as the quantity of potato produce is concerned local contractor purchased 32 per cent and commission agents 27 per cent of the survey farmers. Commission agents from the down-country purchased 18 per cent, wholesalers-Skardu 15 per cent and commission agents-Skardu eight per cent of the whole produce.
Wholesalers-Skardu procured at the highest price of Rs725 per 100kg bag, while the contractor with the lowest price of Rs630 per 100kg bag. Two -third of the growers or 67 per cent are contented and one-third or 33 per cent disgruntled with the prices they received for their produce.
As far as sale to different agencies are concerned, ease in marketing (43 per cent), better prices (22 per cent), trust on the buyer (14 per cent) are main reasons reported by the farmers.
Shiger valley is just 32km from the Skardu city and as such, there is no market in valley; so most of the farmers themselves visit Skardu market frequently to purchase necessities of life. Therefore, 41 per cent farmers get price information about potato crop from the market. However, commission agents and fellow farmers (26 per cent each) are among the other sources of market information.
Marketing costs include the total cost incurred on marketing of produce by each agency. Another way of defining cost is the expenses incurred in assembling, transportation, storage, grading, processing, wholesaling and retailing. The most important factors which influence marketing costs are: distance between production and consumption market, conditions of the roads, seasonality, persihibility, packing and storage and processing. In Shiger tehsil average packing and transportation costs per 100kg bag are Rs37 and Rs46, respectively.
Only 19 per cent of the survey farmers reported labour hiring for harvesting. The reason is the tradition of family labour exchange for agricultural and other household tasks in the area. However, 19 per cent of farmers reported labour hiring due to scarce family labour and more area under the crop. Potato harvesting cost came to Rs1,910 per acre.
Around 86 per cent of the respondents reported various types of harvesting losses. Out of these, 53 per cent reported losses due to cutting of potato during harvesting and 33 per cent due to cutting and others (attacked by cutworms and diseased). In the valley, potato harvesting losses came to 284kg per acre. Area farmers store potato from October to March in pits mostly for food purpose, while five per cent also reported storage of potato seed for next year crop.
Except 53 per cent of the survey respondents, all other faced problems in the marketing due to the remoteness of the area and the undeveloped crop market. The lower prices offered by different agencies for the produce, poor infrastructure and high transportation costs are among the major problems.
