July 24, 2007	Tuesday	Rajab 08, 1428

ISLAMABAD, July 23: Pakistan is self-sufficient in potatoes production for household consumption and depends 99 per cent on locally produced seeds for production of potatoes.

An official source in the ministry on Monday said an estimated 2.47 million tons potatoes were produced during 2006-07, which showed 57 per cent increase against the last year output of 1.57 million tons.

He said seeds constituted about 35 to 40 per cent of the total cost of production of potato. Formal certified seed production is limited and faces technical, economical and management problems, he said.

Lack of availability of sufficient quantities of good seed and low purchasing power of the farmers force them to rely on seed of low quality or on their own production for which most of them do not have the proper skills, he added.

“Poor post-harvest handling including transport and storage facilities causes unnecessary damage and losses and deterioration of quality,” he added.—APP