Pakistan and South Korea collaborate on aeroponic technology for seed potato production to reduce import costs

Pakistan and Republic of Korea are working jointly on seed potato production through Aeroponics technology and 2nd crop is ready to harvest at PARC-National Agricultural Research Center Islamabad. He said 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 largest cash crop of the country and during 2022 it was cultivated on an area of 313,000 ha with total production of 7937,000 tons. 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 PKR 2-3 billion (USD 7000 - 10000 ) . The local production of seed through this technology will help minimize this import bill. During the ...