SAU VC Chairs Meeting To Address Issue Of Wheat, Cotton Seeds Shortage In Sindh

HYDERABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st Mar, 2023 ) :Sindh Agriculture University TandoJam Vice Chancellor Dr Fateh Marri on Wednesday presided over a meeting with the heads of different public and private sectors agriculture and research institutes to discuss and address the issue of the shortage of wheat and cotton seeds in Sindh.

According to the university spokesman, the heads of the provincial and federal agriculture and research institutes as well as the private sector institutions had agreed to promote research and ensure availability of certified seeds of different crops, including wheat, cotton, rice and vegetables in the country, particularly in Sindh.

The participants agreed to find out the solutions under leadership of the vice chancellor and also proposed to organize symposium on seeds and form hybrid seed institute for research on domestic hybrid seeds of different crops, including vegetables.

Addressing the meeting, the vice chancellor said that availability of certified seeds had become the biggest agriculture issue of the province.

The development of the country and the prosperity of the farmer were linked to the certified seed, he said and emphasized the need of organizing a seed symposium with participation of experts from research and extension institutions, seed certification authorities, breeders, farmers and the private sector to find out the solution.

The participants of the meeting informed that despite the fact that around 50 private seed companies had been engaged in providing services in Sindh, the agriculture sector of the province remained under threat because of substandard seeds and fertilizers.

They said that the scope of research should be widened to solve the problems of wheat TD1 and other varieties and also emphasized the need of preparing alternative commodities.

The participants agreed to activate the Cotton Research Institute and establish Hybrid Seed Institute for availability of certified seeds for crops.

The meeting also formed a committee for linkages with all agriculture research, public and private institutions. The meeting selected Dr Zahoor Soomro as the chairman of the committee with Dr Liaquat Bhutto, Manzoor Ahmad Khoro, Dr Saifullah Abro and Tariq Hussain Khanzada as its members.

Dean Dr Inayatullah Rajpar, Director High Power Farms Committee Dr Mujahid Hussain Laghari, Director Agriculture Institute Dr Liaqat Ali Bhutto, Director Cotton Research Center Mazhar Keerio, Regional Director Federal Seed Certification Rizwan Bux Soomro, Executive Director Wheat Research Center Wali Muhammad Baloch, Hafeezur Rahman of Nuclear Institute of Agriculture, Saifullah Abro, Professor Muhammad Ismail Kumbhar, Dr Shahnawaz Marri, Saira Bano Babbar, Roshan Ali Junejo, Asadullah Jamali, Muhammad Tariq Khanzada, Manzoor Ahmed Khoro and Muhammad Mithal Lund attended the meeting among others.