LAHORE: Punjab has introduced two bio-fortified wheat varieties to overcome zinc deficiency in the country affecting almost 18.6 per cent of the population.

“We have introduced two wheat varieties, Zincol 2016 and Akbar 2019, for general cultivation with 64 per cent higher zinc level than other cultivars without compromising on taste of the grain,” Agriculture Minister Syed Hussain Jahanian Gardezi said.

At least 18.6 per cent of Pakistanis are suffering from zinc deficiency leading to weakness and appetite loss in children and making them vulnerable to smallpox, he told a seminar on removing zinc deficiency through bio-fortified wheat here on Wednesday.

The Rs349.5 million worth project for introduction of new wheat varieties with a better zinc level would help overcome this deficiency, he hoped. He said all stakeholders would have to work together to eradicate malnutrition from the country and assured the provincial government’s assistance for the purpose.

The project for developing iron and zinc rich wheat varieties had been undertaken in 2018.

Dr Javaid Ahmad, director wheat at the Ayub Agriculture Research Institute (AARI), Faisalabad, which developed Akbar 2019 variety, told Dawn that as a majority of our population cannot afford costly food supplements and mostly use wheat flour as their daily diet, his institute had been given the task to develop zinc and iron rich wheat varieties.

He claimed that the cultivar also gives 200kg per acre more yield than other common cultivars. He said the enhanced level of zinc would not affect flavour and/or colour of the food products.

He ruled out fears that overdosing of minerals and vitamins may lead to health complications, saying bio-fortified crops have already been introduced in 30 countries in the world and from nowhere any health hazard has been reported because of the consumption of the zinc- and iron-rich food.

He said the variety had been planted in many areas of Punjab in the last wheat season and the agriculture department is yet to calculate its exact acreage.

Published in Dawn, July 15th, 2021