Sub-standard rice seeds being sold in the name of imported hybrid seed, claims SCA

Lobbying group demands government take action against 60 fraudulent companies

KARACHI: The Sindh Chamber of Agriculture (SCA) has alleged that through the sale of fake hybrid rice seeds in Sindh, 60 companies are minting Rs6 billion annually. In a meeting in Hyderabad on Sunday which was attended by its representatives from Karachi, Sukkur, Sanghar and other districts through video link, the SCA demanded the provincial government take action against the sale of counterfeit seeds.

Dr Syed Shahnawaz Shah, the SCA vice-president who presided over the meeting, said that every year rice is grown on between 700,000 and 750,000 hectares of land in the province. He lamented that many seed-selling companies are cheating farmers by selling them fake seeds. "Around 95% of the seeds being sold by these 60 companies are fake," he claimed.

The meeting also protested that against price of the hybrid rice seed in the global markets, farmers in Sindh are being sold the seed at a higher price of $9 to $10 per kilogramme. The farmers regretted that the seed of the original rice of Sindh has become a rarity.



According to the SCA, the federal government had initially allowed these companies to market these seeds on an experimental basis as the official approval for permanent marketing has not been given so far.

"In the name of imported hybrid rice seed from China, the companies are selling locally produced sub-standard hybrid seeds," a statement issued by the SCA deplored.

The meeting passed a resolution that demanded the government take action against the companies involved in the scam and ensure supply of quality hybrid seeds in the market.