FAISALABAD: Agriculture scientists, at a workshop titled ‘Production and marketing aspects of quinoa in Pakistan’, stressed on Saturday the need to utilise the maximum land resources by promoting high resistant crops for food security.

Faculty of Agriculture Dean Prof Dr Muhammad Arshad said quinoa could be cultivated in drought-affected or salinity-stressed areas. He said quinoa was a gluten free food and demand of the gluten free food was increasing worldwide. He said the demand of quinoa only in United States was at $43 million per year.

The event was arranged by the Department of Crop Physiology of University of Agriculture, Faisalabad.

Department of Botany Chairman Dr Abdul Wahid said the agriculture sector contributed 21 per cent to the Gross Domestic Product and increase in per acre production was essential to ensure food security.

Dr Shahbaz Talib Sahi said the country could compete with key players such as Peru, Bolivia, Chilli and Argentina through increasing per acre production. Dr Shehzad the world production of quinoa is standing at 90,000 metric tonnes. He said Pakistan per acre quinoa production was 32 mounds. He also stressed the need for seed management in order to get the maximum potential.

Dr Irfan Afzal said modern methods in seed storage were essential to increase the productivity. He said the required degree of dryness and moistures need to be maintained to avert the low productivity. Plant Pathology Chairman Prof Dr Shahbaz Talib Sahi, President Lok Sujag’s Qamar Mehdi, Dr Irfan Afzal, Dr Muhammad Farooq and Dr Shahid also spoke.

The Pakistan Quinoa Corporation was also launched to conduct researches and promote its cultivation by giving awareness among farming community about Quinoa importance.

Published in Dawn, August 31th, 2014