BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

30/11/2007

Belarus to expand list of potato varieties to be tested in China in 2008

In 2008, the Potato and Vegetables Growing Center of the Belarusian National Academy of Sciences will expand the list of the potato varieties which will be tested abroad including China, BelTA learnt from Ivan Busko, the deputy general director of the center.

At present, Sergei Turko, the general director of the center, and Vadim Makhankov, the head of the potato selection lab, are paying a visit to China to have talks with their Chinese counterparts.

The Potato and Vegetables Growing Center of the Belarusian National Academy of Sciences actively cooperates with the three Chinese provinces - Inner Mongolia, Jilin and Changchun. The two Belarusian varieties of potato - "Veras" and "Vytok" have been already included in the Chinese National Register. These varieties have been successfully tested in China. They showed a high productivity - more than 400 c/h. Moreover, these varieties of potato are rich in starch.

Two huge potato-producing plants have been launched in the Chinese province of Inner Mongolia. The potato of the Belarusian varieties is supplied to be processed there.

The Institute of Potato Growing has been cooperating with China for nine years. The Belarusian potato varieties are included in the national registers of Russia, Ukraine and Sweden.

The Potato and Vegetables Growing Center of the Belarusian National Academy of Sciences exports various sorts of potato worldwide. This year, about 600 tonnes of food potato has been supplied to Azerbaijan. 200 tonnes of seed potato is expected to be supplied to Moldova which is extremely in need of seeds because of this year's drought. About 100 tonnes of seed potato was purchased by Russian commercial structures. A contract for the supply of 200 tonnes of food potato was signed with St. Petersburg trading companies.

According to specialists of the center, this year the total export of potato should make up no less than $150 thousand.

Source:

http://www.freshplaza.com/news_detail.asp?id=11945