G1 Garlic is being auctioned in vegetable markets in multiple Pakistani cities at Rs. 200 per kg. The same cultivar was being sold at Rs. 18,000 per kg a year ago and people were buying it in anticipation of high returns. In effect, it was a bubble and it burst.
G1 Garlic was one of the latest garlic cultivars introduced by the National Agriculture Research Centre in 2019 and was hailed as the next-generation alternative to cut Pakistan’s reliance on garlic imports.
But it soon turned into a quick money-making tool for all investors big and small alike and what was introduced by the government at Rs. 500 per kg was being sold at one time for Rs. 18,000 per kg.
Pakistan imported nearly $60 million worth of fresh and chilled garlic in 2022, according to the International Trade Center. While that may seem insignificant compared to Pakistan’s huge $8 billion worth of food import bill, the cultivar was still found worthy of attention by both the public and private sectors.
That is why, in early October, the Senate Standing Committee on Commerce directed the Pakistan Horticultural Development and Export Company to a complete plan to identify, policy, investment and other support measures where assistance from the Export Development Fund (EDF) is required in order to support NARC G1 Garlic Growers.
[ Rs. 100 = €0.34 ]
Source: propakistani.pk
