Food production: ‘Quality seed needed for quality crops’

Experts say most farmers forced to use uncertified seed.

FAISALABAD:

“Unavailability of quality seed greatly hinders agricultural productivity,” said University of Agriculture Faisalabad Vice Chancellor Iqrar Ahmad Khan on Thursday.

He was addressing a workshop on Capacity Building in Seed Technology organised by the UAF.

Khan said Pakistan was importing hybrid seeds of maize, rice and potatoes worth billions of rupees. He said this amount could be saved by strengthening the seed industry and farmers’ cooperatives.

He said use of certified seeds was only 20 per cent. He said most farmers depended on uncertified seed.

He said in 2012, seed requirement of various crops was 1.5 million tons.

He said farmers ran short of 1.14 million metric tonnes of quality seed.

He said lack of quality seed, machinery and horse power in Pakistan had greatly hampered improvement in agricultural production.

He said the UAF had set up a centre for research in seed quality. He said the university would soon launch a degree in seed sciences.

Federal Seed Certification and Registration Director General Dr Shakeel Ahmad Khan said Pakistan Seed Academy would strengthen public-private partnership in seed innovations.

He said the academy would develop human resource in seed technology. He said it would bring together stakeholders from national and multinational seed companies, public seed sectors and farmers associations on one table so that their problems could be resolved through collaboration.

Faculty of Agriculture Dean Dr Muhammad Arsahd said inferior seed could not bear required fruits.

He called for taking steps to ensure availability of quality seed so that agricultural productivity could be improved.

He said that for sustainable agricultural growth and food security, quality seed should be a top priority.

“Supply of quality seed of various crops in country is very low.” he said.

Punjab Seed Corporation Managing Director Khaqan Babar said the corporation was committed to supply of high quality seeds at affordable prices to farmers.

Crop Physiology Department Chairman Shahzad Basra said with the rapid growth of the private seed sector, the number of companies had reached 766, of which multinational companies.

He said lack of trained manpower in seed industry was also a hurdle to increased productivity.

He said that UAF was making all out effort to provide the trained manpower in this regard.

Seed Association of Pakistan (SAP) Chairman Salman Mahmood Khan stressed the role of national seed companies in Pakistan.

Federal Seed Certification and Registration Director General Dr Shakeel Ahmad Khan was nominated president of the forum.

Pakistan Seed Academy (PSA) is an initiative of the University of Agriculture Faisalabad and Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department, joined by Punjab Seed Corporation, Seed Association of Pakistan, Crop Life Pakistan and Farmers Association of Pakistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 13^th, 2014.