Lab will provide healthy planting stocks to farmers: Jamshed Iqbal Cheema

Potato is a premier cash crop in Gilgit Baltistan: Chairman PARC

(Islamabad): Tissue culture technology is being widely used for large scale plant multiplication that gives a science based solution for plant propagation, disease elimination and plant improvement. PARC is seeking the production of potato tubers locally, that will save valuable foreign exchange. PARC has been able to increase the production of disease free potato seeds through tissue culture technique as per capacity of its cold storage,after which for the first time in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chilas a potato tissue culture laboratory has been set up to provide disease free potato seeds to the farmers so that the farmers can becomeself-sufficient and economically stable by getting maximum potato production in less time,this was said by Dr. Muhammad Azeem Khan, Chairman PARC, during the inauguration of potato tissue culture Laboratory and screen house at Chilas under the PSDP project of Potato tissue culture technology in Pakistan. He further added that, in connection to this project earlier PARC has handed over 50,000 Potato tubers to GB Agriculture Department.

Special Assistant to PM on National Food Security & Research, Mr. Jamshed Iqbal Cheema unveiled the plaque and Chairman PARC Dr. Muhammad Azeem Khan, Member Plant Sciences PARC Dr. Ghulam Muhammad Ali, DG MARCEngr. Munir Hussain, DG NARC, Engr. Shamimul Sibtain Shah, Director NIGAB-NARC Dr. Shaukat Ali along-with other high officials attended the ceremony.

While talking on the occasion, Mr. Jamshed Iqbal Cheema said that healthy planting stocks should be provided to potato growers and researcher and also maintain a comprehensive stock of all types of commercial Potato in tissue culture. Greening the entire country from Karachi to Chinese border is the main mission of this Govt. Our country has 22.5 million acres of land with 50 million acres is inhabited, wherever water is available, these areas will be made fertile. GB is a unique region.We will also make mountain of this region greener. We will take all possible steps to increase the productivity of agriculture, livestock, fisheries and vegetables to make GB’s people self-sufficient.

(Ghulam Shabbir Mirza)
Incharge (PR&P) PARC
Mobile 0332-5311634