Venezuela: Government authorizes import of potato seed

The Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Jose Gregorio Aguilera met with potato producers from the states of Lara, Merida, Tachira, Carabobo, and Aragua on Tuesday and told them that the government had authorized potato seed imports from Colombia and Canada to meet this sector’s needs. Aldemaro Ortega, director of Fenaphort, said the government had made the best decision in order not to jeopardize the planting cycles or the local supply of the product. He said it was important to accelerate the purchase of seed required for the emergency zone, close to 50,000 bags (equivalent to 1,250 tons), because the country’s production sequence could be broken. More