Pakistan has the highest levels of malnutrition as nearly 40% of children and mothers are deficient in zinc, a key micronutrient for early childhood growth and development and pregnancy outcomes. High zinc wheat developed through biofortification is a food-based innovation proven to address malnutrition. Pakistan is one of the highest wheat-consuming countries in the world as each Pakistani consumes, on average 240 g of wheat daily, or 87 kg annually, and thus provides 72% of Pakistan’s daily caloric intake. This makes wheat the ideal food vehicle for an intervention to increase zinc intake in the population. However, zinc wheat will only have an impact once the seed systems ensure that the seed is made available at a scale for farmers to purchase, plant, and grow. This chapter focuses on the current varietal release system and proposes a modified varietal release and demand-based nutrition sensitive seed systems for zinc wheat that will make sure that varieties released within 5 years are promoted and old susceptible ones are eliminated. In addition to the varietal release and seed system, pre-release and early-generation seed production, marketing, demand generation/promotion, and scaling up strategies to increase the production and availability of high zinc grain for the commercial production of biofortified flour which will have a positive impact on the nutritional status of the population were also discussed.

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Zinc Wheat Variety Release, Seed Production and Scaling Up Strategies in Pakistan

  • Muhammad Imtiaz

摘要

Pakistan has the highest levels of malnutrition as nearly 40% of children and mothers are deficient in zinc, a key micronutrient for early childhood growth and development and pregnancy outcomes. High zinc wheat developed through biofortification is a food-based innovation proven to address malnutrition. Pakistan is one of the highest wheat-consuming countries in the world as each Pakistani consumes, on average 240 g of wheat daily, or 87 kg annually, and thus provides 72% of Pakistan’s daily caloric intake. This makes wheat the ideal food vehicle for an intervention to increase zinc intake in the population. However, zinc wheat will only have an impact once the seed systems ensure that the seed is made available at a scale for farmers to purchase, plant, and grow. This chapter focuses on the current varietal release system and proposes a modified varietal release and demand-based nutrition sensitive seed systems for zinc wheat that will make sure that varieties released within 5 years are promoted and old susceptible ones are eliminated. In addition to the varietal release and seed system, pre-release and early-generation seed production, marketing, demand generation/promotion, and scaling up strategies to increase the production and availability of high zinc grain for the commercial production of biofortified flour which will have a positive impact on the nutritional status of the population were also discussed.