Quality of potato harvested in June has improved and its market demand has increased, said an official from Naungtaya potato association. Potato production was vast nationwide in April and May, led to excess supply and quality declined due to El Nino effect. But the quality of potato yielded recently is better, he said.

“Production and market demand has about 300-400 tonnes a day. In April and May, potato production was enormously large and we don’t have cold storage facilities so farmers rampantly sold their seecrop. In April, the weather was extremely hot that caused decline in quality of potato. But the potato quality is pretty good now without having damage, so they are marketable,” he said.

Potato is being harvested from June to July in Naungtaya of southern Shan State but the supply is normally short in August, because of it, potatoes are imported from China, he said.

“Potato is usually short around August. Due to risks and weather changes, farmers don’t grow much potato in May, and it is also hard to find raw material. In the past, Chinese potatoes were imported,” he said. In Naungtaya of Shan State, potato is grown in January, May and August. But, local farmers do not prefer to use such strain of potato to be planted in May due to infection of pests in addition to some challenges in cultivation. Further cropping of potato resumes in August and its harvesting in October and November, despite the production is not much large like April and May. But, it can support the market demand.  

MT/ZS

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