Recommendation To Enhance Hybrid Seeds Submitted

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Mar, 2023 ) :The Sub-Committee of the Provincial Seed Committee on Rice Sunday has submitted a set of eight viable recommendations to Governor Punjab for the promotion of hi tech hybrid seeds to boost agricultural production in the country.

The committee headed by Shahzad Ali Malik Chairman Pakistan Hi-Tech Hybrid Seed Association (PHHSA) recommended to focus on a result-oriented package of incentives for research and development and local seed production, said a press release.

He recommended that the government has to give serious consideration to corporate farming by allotting state land on long-term lease basis at concessional rates to genuine seed producers who meet laid down criteria having a successful track record in research and seed production especially hybrid seed.

He also sought amendment in Seed Rules 2016 under the heading of Seed Production/import targets to achieve its very purpose to compel the importers to gradually shift from imports to local seed production for national and multinational seed companies which don't invest in local R&D, technology transfer and local seed production until restrained through compliance of the above said rules.

It was also recommended that interest-free loans be advanced to seed producers for R&D and for seed production locally and cash incentive of Rs 50 million also be announced for such researchers and breeders of both public/private sector whose variety becomes commercially successful on the basis of at least 10 percent increase in sale and production for 3 years.

The Committee further sought amendments in seed approval and regulatory framework to ensure representation to PHHSA and REAP in the national seed council Punjab,Seed business Rules Committee, Federal seed committee, variety evaluation committee,(VEC) and VEC sub-committee of federal seed certification and registration department.

Shahzad Ali Malik ,a pioneer of hi-tech hybrid rice seed in Pakistan,is of the view that the existing criteria of seed variety evaluation must be revised which should consider only one factor of "yield "while evaluating national and provincial field trials with a focus on distinctive characters like disease resistance and logging.

It was also recommended that the number of government labs for quality tests of varieties and hybrids be increased from one to at least three at the national and provincial levels.

The committee also recommended that to achieve the high-quality standards of locally produced seeds and collaborate with foreign partners for investment, transfer of technology or to become eligible to export seed,it is mandatory for Pakistan to join a membership of organisation for economic cooperation and development scheme for the varietal certification of seed established in 1958.