Uzbekistan plans to completely replace potato imports by 2024 with the help of localization and selection of varieties and other developments of the new Uzbek-Hungarian scientific center for potato growing operating in the country. The Uzbek-Hungarian scientific center of potato growing is located in the Yukorichirchik district of the Tashkent region, Gazeta.uz reports, citing the press service of the President of Uzbekistan.
The institution was created in cooperation with the Hungarian University of Agricultural and Natural Sciences.
The new center will deal with the testing of Hungarian varieties and the production of seed potatoes. A comprehensive quality assurance system will be developed for the entire potato production process by crossing Hungarian and Uzbek varieties. Localization of more than 50 varieties and improvement of the potato gene pool are expected. As a result, it is planned to increase yields by 2021-2023% in 30-50. By 2024, it is planned to harvest 21 thousand tons of seed potatoes and completely replace its imports.
Recall that today Uzbekistan imports 200-300 thousand tons of food and 17 thousand tons of seed potatoes to meet the needs of the domestic market.
The center has in vitro and plant pathology laboratories, potato storage physiology, quality control, equipped with modern equipment. Four scientists from Hungary arrived to organize the center's activities.