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Uzbek delegation studying potato growing technology in U.S.

6 February 2019 18:46 (UTC+04:00)
Uzbek delegation studying potato growing technology in U.S.

By Abdul Kerimkhanov

A delegation of Uzbekistan headed by Eler Tashpulatov, chairman of the Association of Potato Producers, visited U.S. state of Wisconsin on February 3.

The delegation plans to study best practices in potato growing, discuss prospects for cooperation with seed companies and U.S. farms, and also participate in the annual exhibition of the Association of Potato Producers of the State of Wisconsin, meet with representatives of the University of Wisconsin and the U.S. Potato Seed Bank.

The Uzbek specialists' trip was organized as part of the agreements' implementation reached during the official visit of the Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to the United States in May 2018.

The United States annually produces more than 20 million tons of high-quality potatoes and is famous not only for its “chips” and “french fries”, but also for the innovativeness of the whole process of growing and processing this type of vegetables.

The state of Wisconsin ranks second in terms of annual yield, has the largest data bank of potato genetic codes.

On the first day of the visit, the delegation was received by the Minister of Agriculture of the Wisconsin State Brad Pfaff.

The American side, having highly appreciated the reforms undertaken in Uzbekistan, expressed full readiness to intensify cooperation between two countries. Parties agreed that the Wisconsin delegation will visit Uzbekistan to familiarize themselves with the development of potato growing.

In addition, the Uzbek delegation met with the head of the company "Wysocki Farms" Russel Wysocki. Organized a tour of the company’s production capacity, shows the entire cycle of processing and packaging of potatoes.

Established as a family farm in 1953, Wysocki Farms is the leader in the category of producers and suppliers of year-round potatoes and onions throughout the country, occupying 10 percent of the total U.S. market.

The second object of the visit was the innovative company Heartland Farms. This potato and vegetable farm, founded in 1873, currently owns about 4,000 hectares of sown fields, is a direct supplier of potato chips for Lays.

Heartland Farms is distinguished by its modern center for electronic control of the entire process from planting to packaging. The implemented system allows online data from fields, warehouses and processing facilities, as well as to respond quickly to the full cycle of ongoing processes associated with the production of potato products.

Potatoes - one of the main ingredients of almost any dish of Uzbek cuisine. Roast potatoes, home-style potatoes, kazan-kabob and many national potato dishes from our regions are the most popular dishes made from potatoes.

According to the results of the study, more than 540 tons of french fries and about 880 tons of mashed potatoes are used in catering services in Tashkent per month. Of the 540 tons of used fries, 132 tons (24 percent) come from establishments that buy ready-made frozen french fries.

Basically, the semi-finished product is used in the network of fast food cafes and in cafe-restaurants of medium and high level, as well as in traditional cuisine.

Diplomatic relations between the United States and Uzbekistan were established on February 19, 1992.

Thanks to active cooperation with American companies, two countries managed to increase the bilateral trade by almost two times and bring it to $332 million in January-September 2018.

Currently, more than 200 enterprises with the participation of U.S. companies are successfully operating in Uzbekistan. American capital took part in the creation of 25 enterprises since the beginning of 2018.

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Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz

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