Expert: Potato Prices Have Reached 250 Soms per Kilogram

Expert: Potato Prices Have Reached 250 Soms per Kilogram Tuesday, 04 February 2025, 14:12 The vegetable harvest is also threatened by late blight. Potato prices in Kyrgyzstan are rising rapidly, reportedly due to higher costs in Kazakhstan, where Kyrgyz producers export their crops. In response, the Cabinet of Ministers is proposing a temporary ban on potato exports. Economist Iskender Sharsheev spoke to Vesti.kg about whether prices could reach 100 soms per kilogram. “This is not the first time we’ve seen such a situation. There were days when fresh potatoes, straight from the fields, were sold for 209–250 soms per kilo. Typically, every spring, the price hits 80–90 soms—that pattern has held for the last three years. As the first harvest ripens through mid-summer, prices fall, sometimes as low as 5 soms per kilo. There’s nothing surprising about this,” he said. Any move to limit exports would affect local businesses, Sharsheev warned. “It’s not desirable to impose restrictions on businesses. Agricultural producers can lose up to 40% of their harvest to late blight, which damages potatoes in storage throughout the year. If local consumption declines, then 20–25% of the crop will rot—which is why producers need to sell. The government should approach this carefully and support exporters. If prices rise, that’s inevitable. However, to maintain a lower price domestically, we need data from statistical services on how much the population consumes. We should reserve that amount for the local market and permit the rest to be exported,” Sharsheev advised. #PotatoPrices, #Kyrgyzstan, #PotatoExports, #Kazakhstan, #Agriculture, #CropHarvest, #LateBlight, #FarmEconomics, #ExportBan, #LocalBusiness, #PriceHike, #PotatoFarming, #FoodSupply, #DomesticMarket, #GovernmentPolicy, #PotatoSurplus, #RottingCrops, #EconomistViews, #MarketRegulations, #PotatoStorage, #AgriculturalTrade, #PotatoProduction, #PriceFluctuation, #SpringPrices, #HarvestSeason, #AgriculturalLoss, #StatisticalServices, #PotatoQuota, #ExportRestrictions, #FoodSecurity Source: https://vesti.kg/zxc/item/135300-ekspert-byvali-dni-kogda-stoimost-kartofelya-dokhodila-do-250-somov-za-kilogramm.html