Better output: High-yield seed varieties give hope to farmers

Will be cheaper, more productive, says Punjab agriculture minister.

LAHORE: A high-yielding hybrid maize seed has been developed jointly by the Breeders of Maize and Millets Research Institute of Sahiwal and the Punjab Seed Corporation.

Minister for Agriculture Punjab Farrukh Javed said that this is a milestone that will propel the agriculture sector and restrict the monopoly of multinationals in Pakistan.

Javed, at a launching ceremony of Maize Hybrid Seed YH-1898, said that the yield potential claimed by the breeders is highly promising that is comparable to imported seed.



He also praised the fact that the price of local hybrid maize would be at least three times less than the imported seed, which would substantially reduce the production cost for the farmers.

The minister said that agriculture experts, especially the breeders, would be encouraged with rewards and national awards on such remarkable efforts in order to increase the yield of major and minor crops for ensuring food security to meet the requirements of the rapidly increasing population.

He added that implementing the Vision 2025 of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, a number of projects have been initiated which will increase exports of agriculture products through promoting value-added technology to meet WTO standards.



He said that under the Vision 2025, the Punjab government has taken valuable initiatives to introduce various farmer-friendly policies to strengthen the national economy as well as to ensure prosperity of the farming community.

Secretary Agriculture Punjab Rashid Mehmood said that the government would soon implement a new “Seed Act” to curb the mafia. He would also implement an amended Breeders Right Act for encouraging hi-tech seeds initiated by the Agriculture Research Scientists through paying reasonable royalties, in recognition of their commendable efforts made in the larger national interest.

“The Public Seed Corporation (PSC) must recognise events on harvesting hybrid maize seeds so that the yield potential might be displayed to the general farmers,” he said. “This will assure them to trust the seeds developed by researchers.”

PSC Managing Director Khaqan Babar said that PSC, under its new vision, has created a comprehensive plan to make PSC a vibrant organisation of the province. He further stated that PSC required a direct area for Seed Production Farms in order to establish its own research and development base for producing hi-tech seeds.

He said that PSC would also need financial support to modernise its seed processing plants with machinery of the latest technology.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 24^th, 2015.

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