Importing potato seeds

1) Importing potato seeds from the European market to grow the summer loop

The aim of importing seed potatoes

The main objective of the association was to import the seeds needed to grow the potato, distribute it to the members, and market their crops to prevent any monopoly. Therefore, the association gradually imported the needed quantity of seeds. In 1950, the association imported 3300 tons. This quantity reached 13503 tons in 1959/1960, then to about 20 thousand tons during the 1960s.

In this regard, the Parliament decided in its session No. (35) on 01/30/1973 to limit the import of potato seeds to the Potato Growers Association.

In the 1980s, the General Union of Producers and Exporters of Horticultural Crops participated in the import of potato seeds at 25% of the imported quantity. The Ministry of Agriculture was annually setting the maximum amount of the imported seeds. At the time of the economic openness, some of potato exporters were allowed to import potato seeds on condition that they export 4 tons for every ton of seeds. Later, it is permitted to any importer, whether an ordinary person or a juridical one to import potato seeds and the maximum amount sets of imported potato seeds has been canceled.

The association tried to continue in serving its members in the import process by importing varieties of open seeds (non-monopolistic seeds) and on conditions that guaranteed them obtaining the best prices with direct contracting with foreign companies and under the association’s brand.

While the amount of seeds imported by the association decreased, it affected their prices on the open seed prices, which represent about 50 % of the total quantity imported annually. In this year 2020/2019 and under the patronage of the honorable board of directors headed by Mr. Ahmed Al-Sherbiny El-Sayed Ali, the chairman of the board of directors, the association has provided the imported potato seeds at a cooperative price much lower than the prices of the local market, which helped the potato seeds reach the farmer at a proper price and created a state of optimism and hope that more potato seeds could be provided in the coming season in 2020. The association also allows, through its eight branches located in the Republic, for small growers to obtain their needed seeds.