BEIJING: To boost the potato industry, eleven Belt and Road countries, including China and Pakistan, have joined international companies, organizations, and universities to launch a global network for the potato industry at a recent forum at China’s Southwest University.
A collaborative effort headed by the Southwest University, the Belt and Road potato network is aimed to enhance the efficiency and quality of the potato industry in BRI nations through multi-level cooperation like academic exchanges, technology transfer, and joint research, Prof. Lyu Dianqiu said.
The Southwest University’s professor said that, especially, the innovation institute would serve as a platform to promote research and facilitate advancements in germplasm creation, potato breeding, and building potato cultivation demonstration bases.
He noted that the breeding-oriented cooperation comes from a detailed and wide study conducted to scrutinize the challenges and potential in the industry in the BRI nations.
He added that Some BRI nations like Pakistan and Kazakhstan are facing a lack of quality potato seeds. Therefore, each country was gifted one hundred germplasm rapid diagnostic kits at the forum.
Potato breeding knowledge
He said that as a first step, training sessions would be organized to impart breeding knowledge to the members. In this regard, the participants inked a strategic cooperation deal at the forum. They issued a proposal for the shared construction and utilization of the “Belt and Road” International Potato Germplasm Resource Bank.
He said that in an encouraging gesture, the participating enterprises and universities have already established close relations with each other during the forum, and this serves as an inspiring beginning to deeper and wide technological cooperation.
The BRI potato network partners include the CIP-China Center for Asia and the Pacific, Leling Xisen Potato Industry Group Co. Ltd, and many other universities, enterprises, and research institutes, including S Seifullin Kazakh Agrotechnical University, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and University of Lahore in Pakistan.
