ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) on Thursday said that around two million virus-free potato tubers will be produced locally to reduce import of potato seeds.
The announcement was made during the signing of an agreement between the PARC and UAE-based Green System Pakistan.
PARC Agrotech Company Limited (Patco) Chief Executive Officer Dr Muhammad Amjad said that screen houses will be developed at the National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC) in Islamabad to help reduce import of potato seeds.
Pakistan has been importing potato tubers from Holland due to pest attacks. Tissue culture technology is being widely used for large scale plant multiplication that gives a science-based solution for plant propagation, disease elimination and plant improvement.
The PARC will offer its laboratories for the production of health and good quality potato, date palm, banana and other plants to the farming community, said PARC Chairman Dr Muhammad Azeem while speaking at the agreement signing ceremony.
Moreover, Patco Chief Dr Amjad and Green System Pakistan CEO Rana Tahawar Ali Khan signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organisations.
Tahawar said that as a resource provider, the Green System Pakistan will provide all required assistance and training to PARC scientists in this regard particularly provision of tissue culture protocol for date palm will also be ensured. “We are looking forward for multiplication certification and export of healthy, disease-free plants,” he said.
In the meantime, the Korea Programme for International cooperation in Agricultural technology, also known as Kopia, has formally opened its centre in Pakistan and its first collaboration with Pakistani scientists will be to develop new varieties of potato.
The PARC was selected as the technical organisation from Pakistan side to further collaborate with Kopia.
Under the agreement, Kopia will offer cooperative projects and activities which includes technology development projects related to agriculture and livestock aiming to increase incomes of smallholder farm households; technology development activities of Korean experts and scientists at PARC; training of Pakistan researchers, extension workers, community organisations and farmers at the Rural Development Administration (RDA) in Korea or at the Centre. Other activities include promotion of technological cooperation in agriculture and livestock.
Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2020
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