OKARA: A Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) Planning and Development Department delegation invited Okara growers at a seminar on Thursday to benefit from their disease-free potato seeds and potato-friendly weather and soil of the northern areas.

The delegation also urged them to invest in the potato cultivation in their potato-friendly valleys.

This seminar was conducted by the GB with the collaboration of the International Fund for Agriculture Development.

GB Agriculture Deputy Director Abdul Khabeer, Programme Director Saeed Iqbal and Gilgit Deputy Commissioner Usman Ahmad with the area potato seed growers spoke.

Mr Khabeer said there were 300 to 400 valleys in GB conducive for potato cultivation. He said the land of these valleys had natural resistance against potato disease like aphid, blight, rhizoctonia and common scab. There was no need of pesticide spray on edible and seed potato crops on GB farms.

He said that in these GB valleys, they harvested two crops of the potatoes: the first from February to June, and the second June to October. In these months, lengthy sunny days and cold night weather were very favourable to the potato crops. He said the Punjab area potato growers had a chance to contact GB areas growers for potato seed which ultimately would save their import funds.

He said that GB offered electricity at cheap flat rates to farmers. He said that there were three tissue cultural laboratories in the GB Agriculture Department working and researching on seed diseases.

He assured the farmers of security and full support from the agriculture department. Potato Research and Development Board Chairman Chaudhry Maqsood Jutt, Maize Research and Development Board Chairman Pir Naseemuddin and Okara Potato Growers’ Society President Mian Muhammad Siddique were also present.

Published in Dawn, December 22nd, 2017