Sino-Pak agri scientists cultivate hybrid chillies over 750 acres

MULTAN: Collaborative efforts of Sino-Pak agricultural scientists under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) have successfully cultivated hybrid chillies over 750 acres of land across Pakistan this season.

Guard Agricultural Research & Services (Pvt) Limited and LTEC from China have joined hands to promote land development across 30,000 acres in 2023-2024. Out of this, 5000-6000 acres of land will be in Punjab, and the rest will be brought under cultivation in Sindh.

The project introduced wide chilli varieties, such as Red Sky, along with 16 different trial varieties from LTEC. These varieties were selected to showcase their adaptability to the local climate and their potential for high yields and quality.

These varieties offer higher yields, i.e., 75 maund per acre, compared to 25-30 maund given by the traditional types and exhibit excellent tolerance and resistance to diseases, insects, and environmental factors. Regarding profitability, chilli crops have a higher profit ratio than conventional crops.

Both companies successfully organized a farmer meeting centered around Chilli Contract Farming near Multan the other day. The event, attended by more than 400 progressive farmers from south Punjab, aimed to familiarize them with the advantages of participating in the project and showcase model farms featuring various chilli varieties. It was attended by Dr Irfan Ahmed (Executive Manager Commercial) LTEC and GUARD’s Dr Abdul Rasheed (Chief R&D), representatives of different departments related to agriculture and a team of agronomists.

While talking to reporters, Dr Abdur Rasheed claimed that chillies worth US 75 million dollars would be exported under this project in the next five years. The area under hybrid chillies cultivation will increase to 200,000 acres in the next five to 10 years. He added that around 90 percent of the production would be bought by the Chinese. Babar Khan (grower) appreciated the informative sessions, hands-on demonstrations, and the opportunity to network with industry professionals.

Prof Dr Ashfaq Ahmad, Director of the Plant Protection Department at Nawaz Sharif University, appreciated that the hybrid varieties had double production with resistance against diseases. Rana Abbas, Assistant Director of Horticulture (Multan) said technology transfer under this project would help alleviate poverty in this area. However, he stressed the need for focusing on the management of this crop, promoting the latest drying techniques to improve the quality of the chillies.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023