Experts Demand Forum For Plant Breeders

The participants of a two-day seminar on seed have emphasized that a Plant Breeders' Forum should be developed to enhance research activities in relevance to making quality seeds for all the major crop plants and R&D grants should be allocated with sufficient funding, While Public and Private Partnerships should also be developed and strengthened

KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Aug, 2023 ) :The participants of a two-day seminar on seed have emphasized that a Plant Breeders' Forum should be developed to enhance research activities in relevance to making quality seeds for all the major crop plants and R&D grants should be allocated with sufficient funding, While Public and Private Partnerships should also be developed and strengthened.

The seminar titled "Seed Sector: Challenges and Options" concluded at a private hotel here on Monday, co-hosted by Sindh Agriculture University and the Sindh Higher education Commission.

After five different technical sessions on the second day, the experts presented 10-point recommendations and demanded that research activities be carried forward by establishing a plant breeder's forum for quality seeds for all major crop plants, while public and private partnerships should be promoted in this regard.

The experts recommended increasing the grants for research and development (R&D), and the latest and modern infrastructure should be made for laboratory-associated research activities and called for an early amendment to legislation and policies for seed production and processing while recommending concerted efforts to provide incentives to plant breeders for producing crop commodities and to provide access to quality seeds to farmers through the easiest methods and sources.

They also called for a legal ban on the marketing of defective and uncertified seeds in the country.

While addressing the closing ceremony, Vice Chancellor Dr. Fateh Marri said that the agricultural institutions of Sindh will jointly establish the"Sindh Seed Foundation" so that the joint research will benefit the farmers, while the establishment of the "Sindh Plant Breeders Society" is also indispensable to creating the linkages between the public and private breeders, initially, the Secretariat will be established in Agricultural University, Tandojam.

Vice-Chancellor of Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Agriculture, Multan, Dr. Asif Ali said that experts, the private sector and public sector should improve the germplasm of crop seeds, and create a seed supply chain, keeping in mind the climate change.

Vice Chancellor of Women University Swabi KPK Dr. Shahana Urooj Qasmi said that in cotton we are lagging behind the world, and laboratory research for crop seeds should be encouraged.

Chairman of Pakistan Agriculture Research Dr. Ghulam Muhammad Ali said that the seeds should be indigenized, while we still import potatoes worth 5 to 6 billion from Holland, now we have to make nucleus seeds through tissue culture.

Vice-Chancellor, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Dr. Iqar Ahmad Khan said that the transfer of science to business is the need of the hour, and public-private partnership should be promoted.

Director General of Agricultural Research Sindh Noor Muhammad Baloch said that the value chain with research for agricultural crops will have to be promoted, while the institutions established in Tandojam should form their own seed corporation.

Among others, Mr. James Okath of FAO, Dr. Inayatullah Rajpar, Dr. Mehboob Siyal, Karam Khan Kaleri, Syed Mehmood Nawaz Shah, Dr. Liaquat Bhutto, Dr. Nihaluddin Marri, Nabi Bux Sathio, Dr. Shahnawaz Marri, Dr. Mehboob Siyal, Dr. Zahoor Ahmed Soomro, Abdul Wahid Baloch, Manzoor Khoro, Mian Saleem, Tariq Khanzada, Farah Naz Kaleri, Dr. Shabana Memon, Nawaz Nizamani, Ghulam Mustafa Nangraj, and a large number of delegates from different regions of the country including Punjab, KPK, Sindh, and experts, educationists, progressive farmers, and private sector participated in the seminar.

Later, shields and cultural gifts were also presented.