May 13, 2007	Sunday	Rabi-us-Sani 25, 1428

LAHORE, May 12: All-out efforts will be made to support potato growers by improving the crop marketing through short- and long-term strategy that will be finalised in consultation with the stakeholders.

“The Punjab government will recommend to the federal government a 25 per cent freight subsidy and imposition of ban on import of ware-potatoes,” said Chaudhry Muhammad Azhar, special secretary agricultural marketing, while chairing a meeting regarding potato marketing and export at the Agriculture House on Saturday.

The potato growers and exporters expressed their views about the current crisis of potato marketing because of bumper crop of about 2.5 million ton this year compared to 1.3 million ton of last year.

They stressed the need to take effective measures to enhance the potato exports through aggressive marketing to Russia, Malaysia, Ukraine, Thailand and other countries. There was also consensus that indigenous table-potato varieties should be evolved along with promotion of potato seed production on a commercial basis through tissue culture technology.—APP