Agricultural experts have stressed the need for provision of quality seed at farm level as it is imperative to overcome the issue of food insecurity in the country.
They were addressing the third Pakistan Seed Congress on the title of seed invocation for transforming agriculture arranged at the Center for Advanced Studies in Agriculture & Food Security, University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) during inauguration of the Seed Exhibition. The experts said that quality seeds resilient against climate changes and other challenges should be provided to the common farmers under public-private partnership otherwise the crisis of food insecurity would deepen if quality seed is not ensured in the farms. Speaking on the occasion UAF Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan said that every year, the country imported agricultural products worth of 10 billion dollars.
He said that the model of corn comprising hybrid seed technology etc. has yielded manifold increment in the production. “We can break the stagnation in the other crops by adopting the modern trends,” he added. He said that wheat production per acre is limited to only 30 maunds while progressive farmers are getting 60 to 70 maunds. The UAF is introducing soybeans, climate resistant wheat, high-yielding sugarcane, cotton and other commodities which will create a new chapter of agricultural prosperity, he added. Chairperson National Seed Development and Regulatory Authority Dr. Asif Ali said that the current 9 million hectares of wheat cultivation will be reduced to 6.5 million hectares if production of 30 mounds of wheat per acre is made possible to achieve 50 mounds of production. Hence, the remaining 2.5 million hectares of agricultural land can be used for the production of other crops. By promoting public-private partnership, improvement can be ensured for the production and delivery of quality seeds, he added.
He said that due to hybrid seed, India is getting 31.8 million bales of cotton while Pakistan is getting up to 8.35 million bales. He said that all possible measures are being taken to prepare quality seeds and deliver them to the farmers under the Seed Authority. Pro-Vice Chancellor UAF/Dean Agriculture Dr. Muhammad Sarwar Khan said that quality seed ensures high production. He said that the Seed Center has been established in the university with the cooperation of Federal Ministry of Science & Technology under which model seed research and outreach stations will be established in Balochistan and Upper Punjab. He said that the production of crops is facing stagnation. To break the stagnation, viable and innovative trends will have to be developed. The two new varieties of sugarcane developed by the UAF will be a milestone in improving the economic condition of the farmers, he added. Director General (DG) Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department Mohammad Azeem Khan said, “We are lagging behind in hybrid seed technology for which joint efforts have to be implemented.” Dr. Irfan Afzal said that strengthened academia-industry linkages, knowledge-based economy and innovation in the field of agriculture are the need of the hour. He said that new ways of prosperity are opened in developed countries under the public-private model and we also have to build this system on a strong footing.
