Mr. Sangpyo stated that Pakistan & Korea are promoting agricultural cooperation & the transfer of aeroponics technology to Pakistan through Korean Program is a link in this chain.
In collaboration with the Korean Program on International Agricultural (KOPIA), Pakistan’s National Agricultural Research Center (NARC) has inaugurated the third most recent aeroponic greenhouse for the production of virus-free seed potatoes. On this occasion, Korean Ambassador Excellency Mr. Suh Sangpyo stated that Pakistan and Korea are promoting agricultural cooperation and that the transfer of aeroponics technology to Pakistan through the Korean Program on International Agriculture is a link in this chain.
The event was inaugurated by Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research, Chaudhry Tariq Bashir Cheema, Ambassador of South Korea, H.E. Mr. Suh Sangpyo, Chairman of PARC, Dr. Ghulam Muhammad Ali, and Dr. Cho Gyoung-rae, Director of KOPIA Pakistan Center.
On this occasion, Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Chaudhry expressed gratitude to the Korean government for transferring cutting-edge aeroponics technology to Pakistan and training scientists. He claimed that heavy rains and floods in the country have cost Pakistan’s agriculture 30 billion US dollars. Agriculture is the backbone of Pakistan’s economy. Agriculture is the backbone of Pakistan’s economy, but it faces numerous challenges, including a lack of quality seeds and climate change.
The potato is the fourth most important and cash-generating crop, but it is experiencing production problems due to a lack of high-quality seeds. In Pakistan, potatoes are cultivated on an area of 300,000 hectares, while 20,000 tons of potato seeds are imported every year.
In order to ensure food security, large quantities of agricultural commodities have to be imported, for which valuable foreign exchange is spent. The aeroponic seed potato technology project is important for Pakistan because it will eliminate the import of potato seeds through this project. This is a step toward self-sufficiency in local potato seed production.
KOPIA (Korea Program for International Cooperation in Agricultural Technology) is a cutting-edge development cooperation platform that facilitates agricultural partnerships between partners and donors, allowing agricultural technologies to be efficiently scaled up and commercialised.
Originally published at Pakistan Observer