By Duan Changying

 

“The first variety of sorghum supplied to America in 1855 was exported from China. If Pakistan and China continue to cooperate in the sorghum industry, we need to strengthen the breeding program of sorghum, which can be done with the help of China”. Dr. Qamar Shakil told CEN.

 

 

As a Senior Scientist at (Sorghum) Fodder Research Sub Station Ayub Agricultural Research Institute, Faisalabad, Dr. Qamar Shakil has a very strong professional background on sorghum study in Pakistan. He has emphasized that besides the breeding program, if they perform the evaluations of germ plasm and hybrids with the help of China then the industry in Pakistan can be improved a lot. 

 

With his introduction, forage sorghum is utilized in three ways. One is for feed, the other is for seed that is grain and lastly for silage or hay. In autumn it is sown on a large scale and is harvested in large amount. In order to provide high quality food to the animals, sorghum is very important. 

 

 

Sorghum development in China has a profound history, therefore Chinese experience provides all-around solutions on each procedure of the sorghum industry.

 

China's forage sorghum is mainly bred in Shanxi, Liaoning, Jilin, and Hebei Province. Forage sorghum is mainly divided into two types, one of which can be harvested multiple times a year, the plant can be harvested when growing about 80cm high. At this time, the content of hydrocyanic acid in the plant has reached the domestic standard for safe dose. This forage sorghum to feed cattle and sheep can be harvested and fed at any time, especially in some areas of southern China, farmers plant this sorghum by the pond and throw it directly into the pond to feed the fish after harvesting; Another type of sorghum, called silage sorghum, is harvested every autumn and can be used as high-quality silage to feed livestock such as cattle and sheep. 

 

 

 

Ping Junai, Post expert of National Millet and Sorghum Industrial Technology System and Director of Molecular Breeding Laboratory, the Sorghum Research Institute at Shanxi Agricultural University, developed 13 forage sorghum varieties with her team in Cina. Her team also has cooperated with local seed companies to plant some varieties in different regions in Pakistan to carry out experiments and to analyze whether these varieties showed good traits in a certain region.

 

 

 

“At present, we mainly have two varieties-Jinmu NO.1 and Jinmu NO.3, in China, with a wide planting area. These two varieties can be harvested multiple times within a year.” Ping Junai told CEN, they are used to feed fish, geese, or cattle and sheep and can produce very high commercial value. Because this type of sorghum is mainly used for feed, there is no grain, so farmers can harvest the whole plant, leaving about 10 cm of stalks, and the plants can regenerate rapidly.

 

 

 

“Another major variety is Jinmu NO.4, which has a long growth cycle and is harvested once a year without multiple harvests. “ Ping Junai suggests that in Pakistan, the whole plant can be directly made into silage after the autumn harvest and fed to cattle and sheep in winter.

 

 

From January to December 2021, China's sorghum import volume was 9.42 million tons, up 4.61 million tons compared with the same period in 2020, up 95.6% year on year. The import amount was USD 3,026,118 million an increase of USD 1,870,046 million compared with the same period in 2020, a year-on-year increase of 161.8%.

 

Dr. Qamar Shakil said sorghum is very important for the brewing of alcohol and vinegar and the oil produced from the seed of sorghum is also used as a topping for salads. It has a large amount of benefits and its byproducts are being used around the world.

 

 

“If China wants to import sorghum from Pakistan through the route of CPEC, if we work with China then Pakistan can play a large role in providing sorghum and its relevant products to China in a better way. And it will be a big opportunity for the farmers of Pakistan.” added Dr. Qamar Shakil. 

 

As a response, Ping Junai also made her suggestion clearly, “We need to test the quality of sorghum, including starch, tannin, fat, protein content and other indicators. According to the different techniques of brewing vinegar, such as mature vinegar or balsamic vinegar, some sorghum varieties suitable for brewing vinegar are screened according to our domestic vinegar brewing standards.” She believes that through the Belt and Road Initiative, she and other Chinese experts would like to provide Pakistan with technical training services, or go to Pakistan to communicate directly, understand the current situation of their industry, and carry out more targeted technical services.