Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC), in collaboration with Korea Program on International Agriculture (KOPIA), will construct 574 m2 aeroponics greenhouses and 21,600 m2 screenhouses in order to enhance the output of potatoes and to achieve self-sufficiency in certified seed potato production.
The facility will be established under the project “Pakistan-Korea Joint Program on Certified Seed Potato Production System” to produce 160,000 tons of certified seed potato annually, said an official of PARC here on Thursday.
During the signing ceremony, Dr. Ghulam Muhammad Ali, Chairman of PARC, underscored the significance of aeroponic potato seeds in Pakistan's agricultural context. He pointed out that conventional potato plants typically yield only five tuber seeds, while aeroponic plants have the potential to produce 50 to 60 seeds each. Currently, Pakistan imports 15,000 to 20,000 tons of potato seeds annually due to the substandard quality of domestic seeds, but the implementation of the aeroponic potato seed project could potentially save the country Rs 2-3 billion each year and lead to self-sufficiency in potato seed production.
Source: Parc.gov.pk
