Exporters eye Chinese potato market

KARACHI: Urging the government to ensure the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) requirements, demanded by the China, at the earliest, exporters on Wednesday cheered the Asian giant’s desire to import Pakistani potatoes.

“It was high time to capitalise on the huge potential of Chinese market,” Abdul Malik, Chairman Pakistan Fruits and Vegetables Importers, Exporters and Merchants Association (PFVA), said in a letter written to Secretary Commerce.

Malik, in the letter, said recently on request of the Ministry of National Food Security & Research, it was

agreed that China would urgently initiate the process of potato import from Pakistan after fulfilling the SPS requirements.

China imports approximately 1million metric ton of potato of various varieties from different countries. Pakistan has bumper crop of potato this year having substantial surplus quantity for export.

Had this unique opportunity not surfaced, the growers would have no other option but to bury the huge surplus quantity in ground sustaining huge financial losses, he wrote in the letter.