In Pakistan the industry of potato plays a significant role in the agricultural landscape and plays a crucial part in ensuring the security of food. But, this sector faces challenges in getting access to superior varieties of seeds, which affects productivity as well as the whole value chain.

As per Muhammad Iqbal from the National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC) the NARC has a pronounced shortage of seed varieties that are approved for growers. The shortage of seed varieties not only reduces the amount of crop produced by potato plants and also affects the capacity of farmers to maintain the requirements of market demand and quality standards. Pakistan due to its diverse climate, is a good candidate to produce potato seeds throughout the year. But the quality of local produced seeds is not the best which requires the importation of seeds. In spite of the requirement for around 400 tonnes of seeds only 15,000 tonnes are sourced every year. Of these, only 2% of them are accredited. Other seeds are uncertified typically sourced via conventional methods, and could be contaminated.

A lot of the companies still rely on seed suppliers from the past that may not provide the traits or the performance required to compete. To address these concerns, Iqbal emphasizes the need to support from the government, investment for research and development and a greater collaboration between private and public sectors. Initiatives that encourage the use new varieties of seed that are improved and provide technical support as well as facilitate access to modern technology for seed are crucial to increasing the strength and efficiency of Pakistan’s potato sector.

Source: nation.com.pk