ISLAMABAD:Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) and the Korea Partnership for Innovation of Agriculture (KOPIA) on Wednesday launched a collaborative initiative for seed potato production in Pakistan using advanced aeroponics technology and established a seed potato complex to produce virus-free potatoes and enhance local crop output.

According to Director-General of Rural Development Administration of South Korea, the seed potato facility in Pakistan is the top centre among the 23 global centres.

Ambassador of South Korea, Park Ki Jun highlighted the collaborative initiatives between the two countries, particularly focusing on the joint seed potato production project, and announced plans to accelerate the project on a larger scale and revealed the upcoming launch of several other projects.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister for National Food Security Rana Tanveer Hussain commended the progress achieved by researchers from KOPIA and PARC, and emphasised the government’s commitment to enhancing the agricultural sector through modern technologies and innovations.

He underscored the significance of robust research practices and encouraged young researchers to contribute to national food security, and thanked Koreans for their continuous financial and technical assistance.

The partnership between KOPIA and PARC seeks to transform seed potato production in Pakistan by improving efficiency, minimising post-harvest losses, and introducing on-farm processing, enhancing human capital, and generating substantial employment opportunities.

An International Symposium on Seed Potato Production, Certification, and Supply System was also organized in Islamabad during launching of seed potato project. The symposium was aimed to advance self-reliance in seed potato production through the demonstration of cutting-edge Aeroponic technology and seed certification mechanisms. By convening researchers, industry professionals, and stakeholders, the event facilitated the exploration of innovative strategies to enhance seed potato quality and output, according to PARC spokesperson.

PARC Chairman Dr Ghulam Mohammad Ali expressed gratitude to the Republic of Korea for the financial and technical support to Pakistan’s agricultural sector, and highlighted the significance of developing aeroponic potato seeds and the joint efforts of PARC and KOPIA in indigenising seed potato production through advanced aeroponic technology.

Dr Ali also announced more projects worth over $8 million related to livestock breed improvement and indigenised farm machinery for small farmers, which are expected to be initiated in 2025. Dr Ali reiterated that these cutting-edge technologies will not only help to meet the local consumption of seed potato, but will also curtail heavy important bill.

Director of KOPIA-Pakistan Cho Gyoungrae emphasised the collaborative nature of the project involving various research institutions, as well as public and private sectors. He anticipated that this initiative would significantly improve the quality and availability of seed potato in Pakistan, thereby bolstering agricultural growth and food security in the country.

Since last 70 years, Pakistan’s potato cultivation has expanded significantly from 75,000 acres to 837,669 acres by 2022-2023, making it the ninth-largest global potato producer with over 8.4 million tons annually. Despite this growth, challenges such as low-quality seed, and disease susceptibility persist, exacerbated by the reliance on costly imported seed. Aeroponic technology, which provides a water-efficient, high-yield solution, offers a promising alternative to traditional seed production methods.

Average per capita potato consumption in Pakistan is 12.5kg while in the world it is more than 33kg.

In Pakistan under different ecological zones, the potato crop is sown and harvested three times a year with maximum planting area and production 75-80pc in the autumn season followed by summer and spring 10-15pc. Potato seed is mostly imported from Holland which is costly and above fifth generation, which affect negatively potato productivity. On an average, the country spends about Rs5 billion for import of 10,000 – 15,000 tonnes of potato seed.

Pakistan has the capacity to meet good quality certified seed requirement only one per cent against 0.80 million tonnes per annum demand and mostly depend on imported seed that is about 10,000-15,000 tonnes per annum from different countries.

Published in Dawn, August 8th, 2024