KP government initiates projects to achieve the goal of self reliance in edible oil

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Our correspondent

Peshawar: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, Higher education commission and NRPU have initiated a project titled “Commercialization of High Quality Rapeseed Variety Hasnain-2013” for Enhancing oilseed Productivity is being executed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, principle investigator in the project manager Professor Dr. Habib Ahmad TI Vice chancellor Islamiya College University said while talking to media after the inauguration ceremony on Saturday here in Peshawar.
He said that the project was basically designed to provide high quality certified Rapeseed seed to the farmers, which is the limiting factor in the present agriculture system of the country and added that the main objectives of the project are to procure process and market 150 tons certified Rapeseed seed during project three years (2015-18).
The project is further aimed to focus on multiplication of certified seed of improved commercial variety of Hasnain 2013 which will further motivate the private sector in seed business particularly in local seed production and will involve and encourage local extraction industry in the procurement process, He said (Professor Dr. Habib Ahmad TI Vice chancellor Islamiya College University)
Under this project activities underway in full swing in the province and 80 acres of crop of early generation (Pre-Basic) is sown in different area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during last September- October to achieve the target of year first e.g. 50 tons of seed procurement, Professor Dr. Habib Ahmad
“the cultivar is highest yielding across Pakistan in the seven test sites in National Uniformity Rapeseed Yield Trial and still have the potential to outperform and further stated that the cultivar is significantly early maturity and have the distinctiveness of wavey leaf margin, light green color, early maturity, pod shape is curved silliqua, black seed colour, high yielding and resistant to prevailing diseases and insect pest attack” Professor Dr. Habib Ahmad
Dr Habob Ahmad said that the domestic edible oil production does not meet the need of the country and the total availability of edible oils in 2014-15 was 2.335 million tons and added that the local production stood at 0.546 million tons, which accounted for 23.38 percent of the total availability while the remaining 76.6 percent was made available through imports at the cost of Rs. 139.344 billion.
It’s pertinent to mentioned here that edible oil stood at the top in the import of food group while stood second after petroleum group in the total import.
In order to save the foreign exchange, the government has encouraged the cultivation of edible oilseed crops in the country and under this project of the KP government traditional or conventional oilseed crops are rapeseed/mustard, sesame and groundnut, while non-traditional oilseed crops are sunflower, soybean and safflower.
Among these crops, rapeseed/mustard and sunflower have assumed special position in the agriculture economy of Pakistan and much of the research efforts have been directed towards the improvement of these oilseed crops