ISLAMABAD, March 09 (ABC): The Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) has proposed a Rs4.590 billion five-year initiative to modernize Pakistan’s seed potato sector.
According to official documents available with Wealth Pakistan, the project titled “Seed Potato Production and Supply Centre (SPPSC)” will run from July 2026 to June 2031.
The center will be established at the National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC) and will be executed through the National Institute for Genomics and Advanced Biotechnology.
Modern technologies to boost seed production
The center will function as a national hub for localized production of virus-free seed potatoes. It will use advanced tissue culture and aeroponics technologies to develop sustainable domestic capacity for producing virus-free foundation seed.
The project will also introduce a modern cold-chain and post-harvest infrastructure. As a result, seed losses during handling and storage are expected to decline by 25-30%.
An Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)-based digital system will support certification, traceability, and inventory management. This system will ensure transparency, real-time record keeping, and quality assurance across the seed supply chain.
Under the project, a nationwide seed certification and traceability system will become fully operational. It will strengthen regulatory oversight by integrating the Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department (FSC&RD) into certification and monitoring processes.
Benefits for farmers and seed industry
The initiative will generate significant benefits for farmers. Domestic production of virus-free seed potatoes will increase and reduce reliance on imported seed.
Farmers will gain better access to certified and high-quality seed. This improvement is expected to increase productivity and profitability for more than 10,000 farmers across the country.
The fully operational center will include a tissue culture laboratory, screen houses, cold storage facilities, and a seed packaging unit. In addition, field multiplication will take place across the country to ensure wider distribution.
Public-private partnerships will help scale up seed multiplication and improve cold storage utilization. These partnerships will also strengthen seed distribution logistics.
Capacity-building programs will train more than 1,600 stakeholders, including farmers, technicians, and regulators.
The project will also draw on Korean expertise and best practices to support technology transfer and knowledge sharing.
The SPPSC aligns with the government’s 5Es Framework, the 13th Five-Year Plan, the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and the National Agriculture Innovation and Growth Program (NAIGP).
Once implemented, the project will help modernize Pakistan’s seed systems. It will strengthen food security, improve farm productivity, and support sustainable agricultural growth.