The Punjab Seed Council has recently approved the first quinoa variety “UAF-Q7” in Pakistan. The researchers from University of Agriculture, Faisalabad (UAF) have been working on various aspects of 500 quinoa accessions since 2009 and out of which UAF-Q7 showed the best performance in terms of a higher yield of up to 3 tonnes per hectare.

The researchers have not found any insect attack and disease infestation for the last ten years which shows its potential for organic farming. Just like wheat, it is sown in November and harvested in April. While sandy loam to clay loam soil is ideal, it can easily be grown on marginal lands which are not suitable for other crops.

Quinoa has been native to the Andean countries of South America for 7,000 years ago. Due to its exceptional nutritional properties, resistance to adverse environmental conditions and adaptability to agro-ecological extremes, the quinoa cultivation has massively increased in North America, Europe, Africa and South Asia. Out of 100 countries involved in quinoa cultivation, Peru and Bolivia together account for more than 80 per cent of the world production which was 158,920 tonnes in 2018.

Due to its excellent protein amino acid balance, vitamins and minerals, it is popular as a superfood. It’s nutritional profile and potential health benefits are very high compared to wheat, maize and rice as it has a considerable proportion of all essential amino acids, carbohydrates, fats, fibre and minerals.

Major challenges in its promotion are lack of awareness among consumers about nutritional advantages and unstructured marketing channels

Only a few quinoa varieties have been commercialised out of 3,000 varieties in the world. It is cultivated globally in more than 10 seed colours but the marketable grain is usually white, red and black. Market growth of quinoa is increasing due to its growing application and usage in the food industry.

Its global seed market is expected to grow from $782 million in 2017 to $1.33 billion by 2025. European countries have been increasing the import of quinoa seeds for the past few years as it is considered a healthy alternative to more popular options.

No doubt, Pakistan is an important exporter of rice to European countries but the addition of quinoa as an export item would be an advantage for exporters to overcome the gap of less utilisation of rice in the coming days. Pakistan can earn foreign exchange with a good share in the international market and compete with quinoa exporters from South America in the European region due to low cost of production and logistics management.

Over seven million hectares land in Pakistan is salt-affected. Owing to its origin from a harsh climate, quinoa has climate-resilient behaviour and is well adapted to frost, salinity and drought conditions. This is a good alternate for the marginalised farming community who can use their land to grow crops. This unutilised land can grow quinoa organically as the demand for organic is higher than inorganic in the international market.

Unfortunately, there is no certifying agency in the country and exporters of organic food products currently get organic certification from abroad which is time-consuming and expensive. Quinoa is ideal for organic farming as it is a low input crop and is not susceptible to insect and pest attacks because of the presence of saponin in the seed coat.

The University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, has been playing a leading role in the development of climate-resilient varieties in collaboration with the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia. The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of United Nations with UAF is interested in enhancing technical capacity and performance of public and private sectors in quinoa production and variety development, its promotion and consumption in domestic and international markets.

The entrance of the private sector in production, procurement, processing, and marketing of the crop in Pakistan and Europe is very promising. The cultivated area under this crop is increasing in Punjab and Sindh. The price of imported quinoa in Pakistan is Rs1,950 per 285 grams while local quinoa is being sold at the rate of Rs500 per kg due to a massive increase in local production. Major challenges in its promotion are lack of awareness among consumers about nutritional and health advantages, unstructured marketing channels for producers to sell their produce and lack of resources for the development of organic quinoa farming.

The government needs to play its role for the promotion of quinoa production on a large scale, develop its supply chain and strengthen the processing and marketing system to cater to the demand in domestic and international markets. Pakistan needs to develop organic certification bodies if it wants to benefit from this opportunity.

The writer is an associate professor and the focal person of the Seed Science and Technology Programme in the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad

Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, September 1st, 2020