Kathmandu, Jan. 26: Believe it or not, consumers of an agrarian country like Nepal, enjoyed imported potatoes worth nearly Rs. six billion in the first six months of the current fiscal year.
The latest statistics of the Department of Customs showed that potato worth Rs. 5.96 billion was imported in the first six months of the current fiscal year.
Of the total, potatoes worth Rs. 5.85 billion were imported from India and that worth Rs.100 million from Bangladesh.

Potatoes worth Rs. 7.30 billion was imported in the fiscal year 2020/21, and of them potatoes worth Rs.4.79 billion was imported in the first six months of last fiscal year.
The import of potatoes has increased by 24 per cent during the first six months of the current fiscal year as compared to the same period last fiscal year.
Despite the huge potential for the production of potatoes, the country has been spending billions annually to import potatoes.

Even the local shopkeepers in Kathmandu boast about selling imported potatoes, according to some consumers.
“When I went to a local shop to buy milk this morning, the shopkeeper inquired me whether I want to buy potatoes of Bangladesh,” said Ram Bhakta Shrestha of Pepsicola. “He happily showed me a box of the Bangladeshi potatoes, which looked like local one, but I did not buy any.”

Many retailers also argue that many of those selling potatoes carrying them in bicycles were cheating the consumers by selling Indian potatoes calling them Nepali potatoes.
“As Indian potatoes are cheaper than locals, they tend to sell Indian potatoes telling the people that theirs are local potatoes,” said Prabal Sharma, a shopkeeper of Pepsi area.

Basu Dev Kaphle, Chief of National Centre for Potato, Vegetable and Spice Crop Development under the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, said that the import of potatoes is still high for various reasons despite a huge potential for potato production within the country.

He said local production of potatoes fulfills 90 per cent of the annual consumption.
The government has been conducting various programmes in potential districts to increase the productivity and production of potatoes, Kaphle said.
There are others who argue that potato import went up after houses were built in the previous potato farms of Bhaktapur, Sanhku and Panchkhal areas.

According to him, quality seeds, irrigation and mechanisation were a must to increase productivity of crops and vegetables including potatoes.
Lack of approved technologies for potato production and quality seeds as per the nature of soil and duration are main problems for the development of potatoes, he said.
Price fluctuation in the main potato production districts and areas is also discouraging farmers from cultivating potatoes commercially, he said.