Agriculture Ministry announces start of potato exports

The Agricultural Marketing Sector of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, today, in coordination with the relevant authorities, began procedures to export surplus local potato production, in a step aimed at supporting farmers and achieving balance in the local market.

The Undersecretary of the Ministry for the Agricultural Marketing Sector, Mohsen Atef, explained that exporting the surplus comes as a result of the large abundance in potato production that was achieved after the success in reaching self-sufficiency in potato seeds, which contributed to increasing production and achieving a surplus that can be marketed abroad.

He pointed out that this step would contribute to achieving a balance between supply and demand in local markets, and reduce the decline in prices resulting from an increase in supply, which would positively affect farmers by improving their economic returns, as well as enhancing the stability of the agricultural market and supporting the sustainability of production.

He stressed that the current abundance in potato production represents a promising investment opportunity for the private sector to expand into agricultural processing industries related to the crop, which would contribute to absorbing part of the production surplus and raising the added value of the local product.

He pointed out that potato processing industries, especially the production of frozen potatoes and their derivatives, are among the projects with high economic feasibility, given their low investment requirements compared to many other industries, and the promising opportunities they provide for local marketing and export.

The Undersecretary of the Marketing Sector called on exporters, businessmen and investors to take advantage of the investment opportunities available in this field, and to move towards investing in agricultural processing industries in a way that enhances economic development, provides new job opportunities, and supports efforts to develop the agricultural sector and maximize the benefit from local products.