Potato crop suffers over Rs30billion losses in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - A meeting of the Standing Committee on Food Security was held here on Thursday.

In the meeting, it was revealed that a potato farmer was being charged Rs8 per kg.

It was also revealed that the potato crop in Pakistan suffered losses of more than 30 billion rupees, and potato exports from many countries, including Sri Lanka and Malaysia, were also affected.

Farmer representative Rao Muhammad Ajmal said that this year potatoes were sold for Rs8 per kg, but the cost was Rs25 per kg.

Potatoes from Afghanistan used to arrive in seven to eight days, but now it is taking 20 to 25 days. There is a high possibility of potatoes spoiling, and the cost has increased threefold.

He further said that the potato crop in Okara alone suffered a loss of Rs30 billion. The committee expressed concern over the misrepresentation of Plant Protection Comparative Potato Export Data.