DUSHANBE, July 21, 2010, Asia-Plus — 23 percent of seed potatoes purchased in Russia has spoiled due to Uzbekistan’s halting of Tajikistan-bound freight cars, deputy Agriculture Minister, Sijouddin Iroilov, stated at a news conference in Dushanbe on July 20.
According to him, the seed potato spoilage has cost Tajikistan 500,000 somoni. “This year, the government has allocated 6 million somoni for seed potato purchases and we have bought 2,100 tons of seed potatoes in Russia,” the deputy minister said.
460 tons of the purchased seed potatoes has spoiled as freight cars loaded with seed potatoes were held up for almost one and half months on Uzbek territory.
