The main partner of CIP (International Potato Center) in Uzbekistan will direct these resources to implementation of the seed potato multiplication project, using the three CIP clones released in the past two years.

These three varieties are Pskem, Sarnav and Serkhosil, which are well adapted to local conditions of drought, heat and soil salinity.

The projects aims to produce 500,000 minitubers a year from in-vitro plantlets, obtained in new labs to boost potato seed production in Uzbekistan.

Other components involve planting seed potato in the mountains for further multiplication under disease-free conditions, building new screenhouses and storehouses, and providing seed farms with necessary farm equipment and machinery.

The CIP hopes that this project will allow to cut import of potato seeds, which Uzbekistan currently buys for hard currency. Uzbekistan last year imported 10,000 tonnes of seed potato at the prices of over $2,500 per tonne.