DUSHANBE, December 14, Asia-Plus - This year, Tajikistan has produced projected 165,314 tons of potatoes and gathered additional 4,700 tons of potatoes, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection (MoAEP).

            A source at a MoAEP said that farmers this year had planted potatoes on a total area of 9,247 hectares.  “Compared to the previous years average potatoes yields in 2006 increased by 0.6 ton and amounted to 18.7 tons per hectare,” the source said.  

In the meantime, despite increasing yields, the price of potatoes in Dushanbe this month has risen from 1.0-1.2 somonis on December 1 to by 1.7-2.0 somonis as of December 14, with similar price rises in other parts of the country.