AARI Chief Scientist Stresses Development Of Hybrid Vegetable Varieties

FAISALABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Oct, 2022 ) :Chief Scientist Ayub Agricultural Research Institute (AARI) Muhammad Nawaz Khan Mekan said on Friday that the agricultural scientists should accelerate their efforts to develop new hybrid vegetable varieties which were imperative to cater to increasing domestic food needs.

Chairing a meeting of agricultural scientists during Annual Research Programme 2022-23 about Rabi season vegetables at AARI Complex here, he said that although Pakistan was an agrarian country, only three per cent area from cultivable land was under vegetable cultivation. He said that 41 per cent vegetables were cultivated in Punjab and this province was sharing 46 per cent of total vegetable production in the country.

He said that Pakistan was witnessing fast growth of its population which had enhanced its food requirements in addition to creating food security issues. Therefore, the agricultural scientists should expedite their research efforts to develop new hybrid varieties of vegetables which could cater to increasing domestic needs and help in saving precious foreign exchange.

He said that the AARI had introduced four new hybrid varieties of tomatoes for tunnel cultivation including Salar F-1, Sandal F-1, Sundar F-1 and Sarkhail F-1.

Similarly, one tomato variety Ahmad F-1 has also been developed for open field, he said, adding that Punjab Seed Council had also approved these varieties for their cultivation on commercial basis.

New the field staff of Agriculture Department should convince and guide farmers to cultivate these varieties for getting maximum production as these varieties had also sufficient disease resistance. He said that seeds of hybrid tomato varieties had been provided to companies. These companies would produce maximum quantity of seed and ensure its easy availability for common farmers so that they could cultivate it at maximum space of their lands for catering to domestic needs and fetching foreign exchange for the country through their exports, he added.

Chief Scientist Vegetable Department AARI Muhammad Riaz also briefed the meeting and said that the Vegetable Department had completed installation of international standard poly-fiber tunnels over 5.5 acres of land in research area so that new hybrid varieties of vegetables could be developed.