ZAHID CHUGHTAI (MULTAN)
GUARD Agriculture Research & Services (Pvt) Limited added another feather to its cap as its scientists in collaboration with their Chinese counterparts successfully completed the pilot project of sowing hybrid chillies in the Pakistani climate this year. ‘We have sown over 750 acres of land with the Chinese varieties this year across Pakistan including 500 acres in Sindh and 250 acres of land in various districts of Punjab and intend to take this number to 30,000 acres of land during the next season 2023-24,’ said Guard’s Research & Development Wing’s head Dr Abdul Rasheed while talking to newsmen at an event. The project is being carried out under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and an agreement between GUARD and Chinese Company LTEC was signed in the year 2022. By virtue of this, the area under Chinese varieties of chillies would be taken to 200,000 acres of land in the next five to 10 years. Both companies successfully organized a farmer meeting centred around Chillies Contract Farming near Multan the other day. The event, attended by more than 400 progressive farmers from south Punjab, aimed to familiarize them with the advantages of participating in the project and showcase model farms featuring various chilli varieties. It was attended by Dr Irfan Ahmed (Executive Manager Commercial) LTEC and GUARD’s Dr Abdul Rasheed (Chief R&D), representatives of different departments related to agriculture and a team of agronomists. While talking to reporters, Dr. Abdur Rasheed claimed that chillies worth US $75 million would be exported under this project in the next five years. The area under hybrid chillies cultivation will increase to 200,000 acres in the next five to 10 years. He added that around 90 percent of the production would be bought by the Chinese. Next year, Dr. Abdur Rasheed said 5000-6000 acres of land will be sown in Punjab and the rest will be brought under cultivation in Sindh. The project introduced wide chilli varieties, such as Red Sky, along with 16 different trial varieties from LTEC. These varieties were selected to showcase their adaptability to the local climate and their potential for high yields and quality. These varieties offer higher yields, i.e., 75 maund per acre, compared to 25-30 maunds given by the traditional types and exhibit excellent tolerance and resistance to diseases, insects, and environmental factors. Regarding profitability, chilli crops have a higher profit ratio than conventional crops. Babar Khan (Grower) appreciated the informative sessions, hands-on demonstrations, and the opportunity to network with industry professionals. Prof. Dr. Ashfaq Ahmad, Director of the Plant Protection Department at Nawaz Sharif University, appreciated that the hybrid varieties had double production with resistance against diseases. Rana Abbas Assistant Director of Horticulture (Multan) said technology transfer under this project would help alleviate poverty in this area. However, he stressed the need to focus on managing this crop, promoting the latest drying techniques to improve the quality of the chillies. Dr Abubakar from Nawaz Sharif University Multan said that their organization was also developing hybrid seeds for different crops. Representative of the Vegetable Institute Multan, Muneer speaking on this occasion, disclosed that two varieties of chillies were introduced in Pakistan in 1965 and later, no work was done in this regard. He said he was working to develop hybrid chilli seeds for the last 11 years and focusing on such varieties which could have acceptance in the local market.
