PARC in collaboration with KOPIA to establish 35 aeroponic green house.

ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan Agriculture Research Council in collaboration with Korean Program on International Agriculture (KOPIA) would establish 35 aeroponic greenhouses to produce 4 million tons of first-generation seed potato tubers for large-scale cultivation to produce virus-free potato seed.

Currently, Pakistan and the Republic of Korea are working jointly on seed potato production through aeroponics technology and more than 30% of potato seed requirements could be met from the tissue culture labs at NARC and 2nd crop is ready to harvest at PARC-National Agricultural Research Centre Islamabad.

PARC and KOPIA are collaborating on a project for Aeroponic Potato Seed Production System, with the goal of achieving higher productivity, reducing post-harvest losses, promoting farm-level processing, developing human resources, and creating significant job opportunities.

Potato is one of the major cash crops of the country and during 2022 it was cultivated in an area of 313,000 ha with a total production of 7937,000 tonnes.

Potato seed in Pakistan is mainly imported from Holland, which is not only expensive but also of the fifth generation or above. Pakistan's annual import of potato seed is around 12,000 to 15,000 tons, which costs around Rs. 2-3 billion.

The local production of seed through this technology will help minimize this import bill.

During the event, Dr Ghulam Muhammad Ali, Chairman PARC, expressed gratitude towards the Korean government and KOPIA team for their efforts in establishing Aeroponic technology for potato seed production at NARC Islamabad.

Dr. Ali emphasized the significance of potatoes as a...