What happened: On Jan 2, Senator Dr Sania Nishtar, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection, inaugurated the first-ever ginger harvest at the Ginger Harvest Workshop in the Balkasar area of Chakwal, Punjab. Details: It is pertinent to know that this is Pakistan’s first ginger harvest and the crop took 11 months to grow. Pakistani households have a high demand for ginger, but as it is not farmed here, the crop is imported to suit domestic needs. At the event, participants including Dr Ghulam Muhammad Ali, Chairman of the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council, Director Vegetable Research Institute, Faisalabad and Muhammad Najeebullah learned from specialists about the sustainable production and management of ginger, as well as how to harvest the crop appropriately. Dr. Sania was briefed by Chairman PARC on the project’s success and its potential to help Pakistan’s farming sector. “This kind of ginger has been successfully grown and field-tested in this area,” he added, informing that it can yield up to 8 to 10 tonnes per acre. Why it matters: It is the first ginger farming initiative to be commercially successful, with the help of drip irrigation, sprinklers, and shade fabric. During the inauguration, experts also offered their research-based data on the agricultural advantages of cultivating ginger in the area. Speaking about the milestone, Dr. Sania expressed her faith in the project and how this will lead to greater economic growth and boost foreign trading.