By Qudsia Bano ISLAMABAD, Feb 07 (INP-WealthPK): Pakistan has a huge potential to significantly boost garlic production by investing in new varieties and minimizing post-harvest losses. After onion, garlic (Allium Sativum) is the world's second most popular cultivated allium. It is regarded as an important dietary spice as well as a popular treatment for a variety of ailments and physiological problems. Garlic production in 2017 totaled 28.2 million tonnes, grown on 1.58 million hectares with an average yield of 17.8 tonnes per hectare, WealthPK reported. China leads the world in garlic output, with 22.2 million tonnes of production. China is also the world's largest exporter followed by Spain. Garlic is grown on 8,100 hectares in Pakistan, yielding 70,900 tonnes with an average yield of 8.8 tonnes per hectare, according to a study by the Planning Commission. Pakistan's production is growing at 0.74 percent per year, far slower than the population growth rate of 2.1 percent, and the global rate of 5.8 percent. This means that unless domestic production rates improve, the country would be forced to rely more on imports, which are already growing at an alarming rate of 14% per year and totaled $68 million in 2017. Dr Nausherwan Nobel Nawab, a Senior Scientific Officer at NARC, told WealthPK that to overcome these import costs, the NARC introduced garlic variety NARC-HG1 in Pakistan. A year ago, the NARC developed a new garlic variety that yielded 24 tonnes per hectare, making it the highest-yielding garlic cultivar ever produced in the country when compared to other garlic cultivars growing locally. The newly produced NARC-HG1 variety has a bulb weight of roughly 185.43 grams, compared to merely 35.45 grams for the local ‘Lehson Gulab’. NARC-HG1 is a larger garlic variety than other garlic types, and its productivity can be increased by growing it in the right climate and taking adequate care of it, he said. KP Seed Counsel and Punjab Seed Counsel approved these verities. These species (Sativum, and Amplyprosan) have a very good potential in Pakistan. Its yield is 6-8 tonnes through one acre. Dr Nausherwan said this variety provides very good results in almost all regions of the country, specifically GB and Punjab. “We used to import this but now our import has lessened because of the domestic production of new and potential verities. Its seed requirement is 500-600 KG for 20 mound and for good production, farmers should cultivate 80,000 to 100,000 plants per acre,” he said. Currently, its price is high but in future, with the help of higher production, the prices will be lowered. Dr Nausherwan told WealthPK that post-harvest losses in Pakistan begin with harvesting and extend throughout the post-harvest chain. These losses are caused by a variety of factors, including improper handling and shipping, extreme temperatures and a lack of a cool chain system, improper storage, bio deterioration, insects, and so on. He said fresh garlic must be dried after harvesting to remove excess moisture from the bulb's outer skin. Garlic is dried for three to five days in the field after harvesting by farmers. Drying also aids in the reduction of storage losses. Improved farm management (IFM) practices such as timely sowing, managing plant density, managing irrigation frequency and intensity, optimal and balanced use of inputs, particularly fertilizer, and effective control of diseases, insects, and weeds, among others, will increase garlic yields significantly, according to the NARC scientist.