Iran's Potato Seed Production on Rise: Deputy Minister
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s deputy agriculture minister said the country has managed to produce more than 5 million tons of potato in the first six months of the Iranian calendar year (started on March 21).
Hossein Shirzad, who is also the chief executive of Iran’s Central Organization for Rural Cooperatives, said the country has recently made great progress in producing potato, turning into a major rival for European and North American countries.
Noting that major steps have been taken in recent years to produce potato seeds, the deputy minister said during the 1990s, European countries, North American countries, and former Soviet Union nations were significant potato producers and consumers based on a FAO survey.
A seed potato is a potato that has been grown to be replanted to produce a potato crop. A potato is a tuber, a way for a potato plant to store energy so that it can regrow next year. In spring, potato tubers will start to sprout new growth from growing points called eyes.
According to FAO, Iran, having more than 160000 hectares of potato farms, now ranked 13th among world’s major potato producers, Shirzad said.
Regarding a project on potato seed production, the official said production of safe seed by using modern biotechnological methods is an ever-increasing endeavor made by the rural production cooperatives.
He added about 68 tons of the seed potato varieties, including Agria, Jelly, Sante, Burren, Banba and mini tubers were produced and cultivated by Sept. 22 through joint ventures in Isfahan.