HG1 garlic production: Senate body directs NARC to support growers

LAHORE: The Senate Standing Committee on Commerce has directed the National Agriculture Research Centre (NARC), the Ministry of Commerce (MOC), and the provincial governments to collectively prepare a plan to support growers of the HG1 variety of garlic to cut down Pakistan’s Rs 80 billion per annum import of the garlic.

The plan will identify policy, investment, training, and other support measures needed to increase production and exports of NARC HG1 garlic variety. The required financial assistance will be made available from the Export Development Fund (EDF).

The garlic variety developed by NARC, according to the experts, has potential of giving more per acre yield and full of different nutrients including allicin. Allicin is considered good for curing certain cancers, cholesterol, sugar and blood pressure.

Speakers disclosed this at a seminar arranged by the Agricultural Journalists Association (AJA) here on Thursday. Jafar Ali, head of the Pakistan Horticulture Development & Export Company (PHDEC) Punjab Region, progressive growers, Tariq Ismail Mayo CEO of a seed company and others addressed the event.

PHDEC Punjab’s regional head Jafar Ali said that his organization was ready to extend assistance needed to promote HG1 garlic variety. He said it was the mandate of his organization to promote horticulture products and their export from Pakistan.

He invited the growers and the companies involved in production of the said variety to come up with a plan and they would fund it from the Export Development Fund (EDF).

Tariq Ismail Mayo, CEO Agro Bridge (Pvt) Limited said that at present 577 farmers were sowing the HG1 variety on around 2,100-2,200 acres of land. If this figure could be pushed to 20,000 acres to 25,000 acres in the next three years, it would help reduce Pakistan’s dependence on garlic imports. He claimed presence of higher content of allicin in this variety makes it useful for different diseases.

Tariq also said that HG1 garlic could help control the issue of smog. The stubble of rice could be used for mulching the garlic crop, which would help stop the growth of weeds, contain moisture in the land, and help better growth of bulbs of garlic. Later, these rice stubbles could be merged into land through the use of rotavators and they were the best form of DAP fertilizer.

Muhammad Luqman President Garlic Growers Association said that the total consumption of garlic in Pakistan was around 300,000 tons per annum. He stressed the need for keeping the garlic crop more organic and developing its value added items to make it acceptable internationally.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024