By Muhammad Soban ISLAMABAD, Feb. 22 (INP-WealthPK): The Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) has launched the ginger import substitution initiative under the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) to make the country self-sufficient in ginger production. Pakistan currently imports ginger worth $70 million to meet its domestic needs. According to Director General PCSIR, Dr. Quratul Ain Syed, Pakistan has successfully experimented with its local variety, which has proved to be disease-free. The experiments of ginger cultivation were carried out in 500 different locations across the country under a controlled environment. Pakistan is one of the top importers of ginger globally. The largest share of ginger imports is from China and Thailand, from where Pakistan imports the commodity worth about 70$ and 29$, respectively. These imports create trade imbalances that hurt the country’s economy. The MoST initiative will make Pakistan self-sufficient in ginger production. Moreover, in future, Pakistan would be able to export the commodity. Ginger is also used in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. According to Research and Markets, the global market size of ginger is about $6.8 billion, which is expected to reach $8.46 billion by 2027. A suitable environment is needed to grow ginger as it requires temperatures ranging between 25-31 degrees Celsius, humidity level of more than 75%; and rainfall during the crop period should be more than 2,500ml. Countries like China and Thailand grow ginger in sloppy lands where main crops like cotton, rice and sugarcane cannot be grown. Dr. Touqeer Ahmad, a senior agriculture researcher at the Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, told WealthPK that Pakistan has the prodigious potential of producing ginger. “The National Centre of Bioinformatics, in collaboration with the Higher Education Commission, is also working to produce a local variety of ginger,” he said. “There is a need to import different varieties from ginger exporting countries, and then by using them, Pakistan should produce its own varieties that are effortlessly acclimatised in the country,” Dr. Ahmed suggested. “There is an opportunity for Pakistan to learn from China, which is one of the largest producers of ginger in the world.” Along with growing ginger in the controlled environment, areas should be identified, which are naturally suitable for its cultivation. As Pakistan imports ginger unrestrictedly to meet the domestic demand, it is difficult for the local farmers to start cultivating it, especially when there is no high-yielding seed availability, training and market support. Usually, farmers use imported ginger available in the market as a seed to grow the crop, which does not often succeed. Pakistan has advantages over other countries to be self-sufficient in ginger production because of fertile soil, a large canal, tubewell irrigation system, and cheap labour. It is also essential that farmers have market protection.