By Arsalan Ali

ISLAMABAD, August 17 (INP WealthPK): Pakistan has significant potential to increase revenue by exporting potatoes and the need of the hour is to explore new export destinations, reports WealthPK.

According to the Ministry of National Food Security and Research, potato production grew by 70 percent to 7.74 million tons in 2021 compared to 4.55 million tons in 2020. As the graph shows, potato production has been continuously increasing since 2010

Major production is concentrated in Punjab (93.5%) followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (5.17%), Balochistan (1%), and Sindh (0.33%). Punjab (Okara) and Gilgit (Hunza) are two major potato clusters.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization statistics, China, India, Ukraine, the Russian Federation, and the United States are the top five potato-producing countries in the world.

Data from the 2021 trade map shows that Pakistan contributes a minimal share of $112 million to the $4.4 billion global potato market.

As of the year 2021, the top export destinations for Pakistani potatoes were Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, UAE, Qatar, and the Russian Federation.

Talking to WealthPK, Suleman Akram, Research Associate at the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), said Pakistan had significant potential for export of potatoes by exploring new markets that would help earn foreign reserves adding that potato production had continuously increased during the last decade.

The top existing markets for potato exports are Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Oman, Malaysia, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Russia. Iraq, Turkmenistan, Kuwait, and Turkey can be the new markets that have not been explored yet by Pakistani exporters.

According to Suleman, Iraq produces 0.67 million tons of potatoes and its imports are worth $75.7 million. Iraq meets its production gap by importing from Iran.

Suleman said Kuwait had limited potato production and imported it from Egypt, Lebanon, and Syria. Moreover, Turkmenistan produces 0.3 million tons of potatoes per year, and meets the shortages by importing from the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, and Iran.

Suleman said there is a chance for Pakistan to enter these markets and make a profit. He said Iraq had the highest wholesale price of $1,360 per ton, Kuwait $850 per ton, Kazakhstan $580 per ton, and Turkey $310 per ton.

Suleman said compared to other countries, Iraq and Kuwait have the highest wholesale prices. Pakistani exporters need to explore the two markets.

According to the latest report of the (TDAP), Central Asian countries are the most lucrative markets for potatoes. Central Asian States, especially Kazakhstan, are diverting to new potato exporting countries to meet their demand.

The report pointed out that it is the need of the hour to take advantage of and acquire the market of Central Asia. Moreover, Iraq is also a lucrative market with a positive return. Direct exports of potatoes to Iraq and indirect exports through Iran should be streamlined, according to the report.

The report also highlighted the usage of high-quality seeds and fertilizers to prevent diseases in order to increase the yield per capita and exports of potatoes.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk