Staff Reporter
Islamabad
Garlic—a food and herbal remedy— has many different uses in our home. Due to its higher nutritive value than other bulbous crops, it holds a unique traditional position.
This Expressing his views, Dr. Muhammad Azeem Khan, Chairman, PARC said that top garlic producing countries in the world include China 22,333,877 tonnes, India 1,721,000 tonnes, Bangladesh 461,970 tonnes and Egypt 286,213 tonnes; FAO 2018. Currently, Pakistan is at 19th position with an annual production of 81,167 tonnes of garlic, which is very low as compared to top yielding countries.
Therefore the country has to import from China i.e. approx. 46139.8 tonnes (Fruit Vegetable and Condiments Statistics of Pakistan; 2017-18) now due to the outbreak of Covid-19 garlic import is immensely affected.
Dr Azeem Khan, Chairman PARC also informed that to bring research based agricultural solutions along with revolutionized and modernized agriculture and to obtain high yielding varieties of commercially important crops in Pakistan, National Agricultural Research Centre under the umbrella of Pakistan Agricultural Research Council has established Research and Development programs.
Keeping in view the fact that, the popular local garlic variety “Lehson Gulabi” is low in yield but highly acceptable in the market, however, not fulfilling the industrial demand of garlic in the country.
The Vegetable Crop Research Program of Horticulture Research Institute, NARC has started garlic variety development activity in 2009-10 to achieve high yielding garlic variety for the country.
