Although potato has always been an important food commodity in Central Asia and the Caucasus (CAC) region, the potato research and development system in the region has fallen into isolation and neglect since 1990. This has resulted in a loss of valuable local and old Russian varieties, limited supply of quality seed tubers, decreased productivity and increased post-harvest losses. In particular, with the collapse of USSR and consequent break down of former seed supplies, seed potatoes started to be imported from Europe to replace the seed no longer available from Russia and contiguous republics and with the imported seed, old local cultivars were replaced by the new European varieties, which lack needed resistance and adaptive traits, and render farmers largely dependent on expensive imported seed. The large majority of potatoes displayed on the local markets are now all of Dutch and German origin, with a small percentage (<5%) represented by local and Russian varieties.