Because the Uzbek quarantine authorities found dangerous pests (pale and golden potato nematodes) in some tuber imports from Iran and Pakistan, they returned to origin more than 3,500 tons of the product, and if such incidents are repeated, the authorities could ban imports from these two states entirely.
“The agency returned 3,525 tons of potatoes in which nematodes were detected, and another 775 tons were destroyed in Uzbekistan,” the Agency for Plant Protection and Quarantine said, cited by Uzreport.
The Iranian and Pakistani quarantine authorities already have received notifications of violations of phytosanitary requirements. Consultations are underway to rectify the detected violations.
According to the above-mentioned source, spuds from Pakistan were already mixed with tubers grown in other countries and used as fodder in Afghanistan.
At the moment, Uzbekistan imports about 400,000 tons of potatoes annually, compared to 56,000 tons in 2016, according to official data.
The top supplier of potatoes to Uzbekistan in 2021 turns out to be Iran. Pakistan ranks third in this indicator (75,500 tons, 24.4%), giving way to Kazakhstan (85,000 tons, 27.4%). Russia is in sixth place on this list with 4,200 tons (1.4%).
