The Pakistani government will not impose a tariff on potato exports this season, nor will it look to compliment local production with imports in the domestic market, according to the country’s federal minister for national food security and research, Sikandar Hayat Khan Bosan.
With harvest set to get underway over the coming months, speculation had been mounting amongst the industry that a duty would be applied to international shipments, causing unrest amongst growers.
Speaking with the Express Tribune, Bosan said the rumour was most likely a ploy devised by “middlemen” from within the industry.
“The prime objective behind creating this confusion is to lift potatoes from the growers at cheap prices and sell them at high prices,” he told the Express Tribune. “Such tactics hurt the interest of both growers and consumers and only the middlemen take a hefty cut from the confusion.”
Bosan said potato production was shaping up well across the country, with export volumes likely to be in-line with the 250,000 tonnes shipped last year.
