Uzbekistan's Ministry of Agriculture: Potato prices are expected to stabilize in February and March.

Several factors have contributed to the rise in prices. The primary reason is the insufficient potato harvest from the fields sown in the autumn. In 2024, the yield from the re-sown lands amounted to only 1 million tons, which meets just 44% of the seasonal demand estimated at 1.7 million tons.

Additionally, the Ministry of Agriculture noted an increase in the costs of planting materials, fertilizers, fuel, and other supplies. The expenses for planting potatoes per hectare range from 55 to 60 million sums, which is 2 to 2.5 times higher than for other agricultural crops.

Since 2020, the price of potatoes has surged by 173%, largely due to the escalating costs of potash fertilizers (175%), diesel fuel (178%), electricity (180%), and agrochemicals (202%). The rise in prices has also been influenced by the increase in VAT and the water use tax.

To stabilize prices, 9.9 thousand tons of potatoes have been supplied from reserves to markets, which total 245.6 thousand tons. Furthermore, Uzbekistan imported over 94 thousand tons of potatoes from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, and Kyrgyzstan, while suppliers were allocated additional railway cars to boost supply volumes.

The Ministry of Agriculture anticipates that potato prices will stabilize in February-March due to the measures taken. Additionally, with the start of sales of the new harvest in April, which will be collected from an area of 122 thousand hectares, a seasonal price decrease is expected.

The agency also commented on the detention of a railway car carrying potatoes from Kazakhstan at the border. This detention was related to the phytosanitary control process, during which technical errors in the documentation were discovered. The issues were promptly resolved, and the cargo has already arrived at the Chukursay railway station, where it is being distributed among retail outlets.

Phytosanitary and logistical processes are under the control of the Ministry of Agriculture to ensure that the population has access to affordable and quality products. The agency assured that measures will be taken to prevent similar situations in the future.

It was previously reported that the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, set the goal of achieving self-sufficiency in potatoes by 2027.