By Mazullah Khan
In Pakistan, three crops of potatoes are cultivated —autumn, spring and summer. Autumn and spring crops are grown in the plains while summer crop is grown in hilly areas of the country. Generally, lack of high quality seed is perhaps the most important single factor reducing its yields. No aspect of potato growing is more important than selection of the best possible seed as the yields are directly related to the quality of seed planted than any other factor.
A small quantity of stock seed (4000-5000 MT), is imported annually, which is multiplied in the plain areas of Pakistan. The imported seed is planted for multiplication as first generation, which is further multiplied till producing 4th generation in the areas where the virus and other disease infestation threat occurs and is sold out to the farmers across the country. The mountainous areas of Pakistan offer a suitable climate for summer potatoes production, which is produced in virus free environment. Being hilly area, the climate of GB is also highly suitable for ware and seed potatoes production and offers enormous business opportunities for the growers, local and national seed traders.
Looking at this climatic edge, potato crop was prioritized as a major value chain for establishing and promoting seed potato business under Economic Transformation Initiative-Gilgit Baltistan (ETI-GB) through contract farming, which was run successfully from 2017 till present. The farmers are supported materially and technically. In order to develop linkages between Village Producers Groups (VPGs) of GB and seed users/traders in the national markets to market their seeds, a visit of large scale farmers from Depalpur, Hujra Shah Muqeem and Haveli Lakhan, Punjab was arranged for this purpose by Value Chain Technical Assistance Team (VCTAT).
Nine large scale potato farmers, in the first instance, were invited to meet the VPGs members and visit seed potato fields in Hoper; district Nagar, Shishkat & Morkhoon; district Hunza, Yasin valley; district Ghizer and Daskhiram; district Astore, GB. The visit took place from July, 31 to August 3, 2019. The visiting farmers held meetings with seed producers in all the above areas and checked the seed potato plots (Fig. 1 & 2) The visitors were quite impressed with the crop conditions and the way the farmers managed their fields. The visiting farmers also appreciated the role of ETI-GB in extending support to farmers in far-flung areas of GB and to make efforts to link them with seed users and traders in the national markets. A leading grower Mr. Allah Ditta from Depalpur thanked ETI-GB for arranging the visit and expressed the intention that in future, seed potatoes purchase business could possibly be explored with VPGs. He pointed out this in an address in a Farmers Valley Conference jointly arranged by ETI-GB and AKRSP in Hoper valley.
At the end of the visit, a wrap up meeting of VCTAT/ETI-GB representatives and visiting farmers was held to discuss the future seed business options between seed potatoes producers of GB and down country seed users in Astore.
Mr. Saeed Iqbal, Team Lead, VCTAT, Agribusiness Support Fund suggested that both the parties; seed producers and seed users, should keep close contacts with each other for future business. Mr. Abdul Khabir, Regional Coordinator, Gilgit Region, ETI-GB thanked the visiting farmers and opined that as a result of the current visit to GB, you are our clients now and also representatives in the down country. He further said that the VPGs from GB will provide you disease free and quality seed potatoes. Mr. Javedullah Khan and Safiullah Baig, representatives VCTAT/ETI-GB, facilitated logistics and all the field visits in GB.
Mazullah Khan is a Value Chain Specialist-Potato & Vegetable VCTAT & ETI-Gilgit Baltistan, Gilgit, he can be reached through his email: mazullah.khan@asf.org.pk
