India: Govt removes minimum export price of potato

The government on Tuesday removed the minimum export price (MEP) of potato, which was imposed in July, in an effort to boost the shipment of more potatoes. “Export of potatoes, fresh or chilled, should be permitted for exports without any MEP,” the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in a notification. In July, the government had imposed MEP of $360 (abour 24,000) per tonne on potato to increase domestic availability. Although India was the world’s second largest potato producer at 48 million tonnes (mt) in 2014-15, its exports were less than one per cent of the output. (Source: Business Standard)