Over 264 kilograms of garlic that was produced from the newly developed high-yield seed (HG-1) has been stolen from the National Agricultural Research Centre ahead of the garlic growing season beginning in October.
NARC said that the stolen was worth millions of rupees. The official documents show that the unknown perpetrators nicked 16 bags of groundbreaking produce.
Director-General National Agriculture Research Council has since ordered an inquiry into the incident. A committee will investigate the theft and find the people responsible for the theft. The committee is also tasked with identifying the possible carelessness of the officials.
The committee is to probe and submit a report on the theft.
The theft has raised concerns over a possible shortage of garlic in the market where even an interruption in the supply chain can adversely affect the farmers. The sale of the stolen garlic seeds to private sellers results in the products selling at rupees three to four thousand per kilogram.
Earlier last year, Pakistan Agriculture Research Council developed a new variety of high-yielding garlic with a production potential of 24 tonnes per hectare.
At the time, a PARC spokesperson said that the leading scientist Humayoun Khan led the effort to work on the high-yielding seed along with a team of co-breeders. At the time, Chairman NARC said that the authority had established research and development programs under PARC to invent research-based agricultural solutions.
Pakistan’s garlic production is relatively slender in comparison with the top-yielding countries. China, India, Bangladesh, and Egypt lead the way in the global garlic production industry. Pakistan, on the other hand, imports garlic from China to meet the market needs.
