PAKISTAN POTATOES
Pakistan is the 14th largest producer and 18th largest exporter of potato with an annual production of 7.74 million. The annual requirement of local population is 3.35 million tons and the rest is available for exports. In 2021 Pakistan exported potato of about 0.4 million tons to many markets of the world that includes Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, UAE, Russia, Qatar, Azerbaijan, Malaysia and Iraq etc. There are many varieties cultivated in Pakistan to include Constance, Vogue, Kuroda, Esmee, Rudolph Santé, Arizona, Meryem etc. The main cultivation areas are Okara, Depalpur and Sahiwal. The potato cultivated in Pakistan are used for cooking and for making chips, fries, flakes, powder and other processed food. Most of the exporters use modern technique of processing viz; grading, washing, sorting, drying, packaging and storage.
Varieties of Potato Grown in Pakistan
- Constance
- Vogue
- Kuroda
- Esmee
- Rudolph
- Meryem
- Alouette
- Sante
- Arizona
- Riviera
- Corazon
Constance
- Beautiful appearance
- Uniform tuber size
- High yielding variety
Vogue
- Large tubers
- Producing high yields
- High dry matter content
Kuroda
- Good storability
- Produces large tubers
- Excellent heat tolerance
Rudolph
- High yield
- Good storability
- Attractive red skin
Esmee
- Good heat tolerance
- Beautiful appearance
- Multiple virus resistances
Sante
- High dry matter content
- Rather floury
- Multiple resistances
Alouette
- Good drought tolerance
- Organic and conventional production
- Late blight resistance in foliage and tuber
Arizona
- Uniform tuber shape and size
- Good drought tolerance
- Multiple virus resistances
Riviera
- Large tubers
- Beautiful appearance
- Good virus resistances
Corazon
- Excellent skin quality
- Rather firm cooking
- Multiple resistances
Meryem
- Good drought tolerance
- Good tuberisation
- Good virus resistances
Uses of Potato in Pakistan
- Table potato production for domestic use as fresh
- Table potato production to store in cold storages for domestic uses
- Potatoes supply to Processing industries
- Potatoes supply to export
- Informal Potato seed supply to other potato growing areas of Pakistan