The Republic of Poland is set to kick start an investment program which will result in the opening of a laboratory worth USD8m and a complex designed to grow 5,000 tons of new generation potato seeds, notes Uz Daily.

According to the report, the project will allow the cultivation of potato tubers with a total volume of 8m per year using the in-vitro method.

The news was announced during  meeting organized by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Uzbekistan with the participation of representatives of the Polish-Uzbek Chamber of Commerce and Industry, as well as members of several other organizations including the Polish Institute for Seed Farming and Potato Protection and Institute of Bio-organic Chemistry, Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan.

As a result of the implementation of the project in Uzbekistan, it will be possible to regulate the import of potato seeds by expanding domestic opportunities, provide the population with jobs, and improve the quality of potato seeds. At the moment, in co-operation with the Republic of Poland, systematic work is being carried out to supply farms with healthy, virus-free potato seeds.

The reports also noted that this year in Uzbekistan on the territory of 135 hectares it is planned to grow 2.8m tones of potatoes. At present, on average 20,000-30,000 tons of potatoes seeds are imported to the country from different countries every year including Afghanistan, Belarus and India.