Al-Bab Report
On Thursday March 24th, Dutch Ambassador Jeannette Seppen proudly presented the ‘Salt Tolerant Potato’ in Islamabad, with a live cooking show with celebrity chef Mehboob Khan, a tasting and an explanation by a Dutch expert of this innovation. The Dutch salt tolerant potato is expected to make a great contribution to Pakistan’s food security, as it will make saline land viable again for agricultural production.
With support of the Securing Water for Food Program - a combined effort of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) and the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dutch development consultancy MetaMeta tested this salt tolerant potato variety in Pakistan – with very encouraging results.
Described as a game changer, this revolutionary potato variety has now advanced to the second stage of a test production phase in Pakistan. If proven commercially feasible, this innovation will bring a viable option for innumerable farmers who are currently unable to grow crops on their saline landholdings and provide a new lease of life for communities that suffer from food-insecurity and malnutrition.
The event allowed guests from the agricultural, governmental and development sector to learn about this tremendous agricultural break-through and taste the potato themselves. Chef Mehboob had produced a variety of dishes in order for everyone to sample the four types on offer.
Ambassador Jeannette Seppen was very excited about the prospects: “This new innovation is truly impressive. These unique potatoes – a prime example of Dutch innovation in agriculture – can enable cultivation in saline areas, which is a great opportunity not only for Pakistan but for the world at large.
I commend MetaMeta, Jaffer Brothers, Salt Farm Texel, USAID and SIDA on the tremendous success of this joint effort.”
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