KYIV, Jan 6 – The government grossly overestimated potato harvest in Ukraine with the country turning into a net importer of potatoes, Serhiy Rybalko, Vice-President of the Ukrainian Association of Potato Producers, said.

"The gross harvest of 20-21 million tons was in fact 12-13 million tons at best," he said.

The government’s statistics have remained unchanged over the past 10 years, but the reality is changing fast and the actual output appears to be much lower.