LAHORE – Devolution of Seed Inspector’s powers to provinces could prove disastrous for Pakistan’s agricultural sector, stakeholders believe.
There is a proposal to delegate Seed Inspector’s powers to Provincial Agriculture Extension departments. At present, the said responsibility lies with the Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department (FSC&RD).
“Devolving Seed Inspector’s powers to provinces will disrupt international practices and hinder the introduction of high-yielding, climate-resilient, and disease-resistant modern seeds and technologies”, said Muhammad Rashid, Executive Director CropLife, while talking to the newsmen yesterday.
He said that manpower in the provinces lacked technical qualification and experience to carry out the task of seed monitoring activities. He said that the Punjab Agriculture Extension department was already overburdened with other responsibilities besides performing the original task of educating farmers.
“Instead of policing the seed sector, provinces should focus on farmer education and advisory services”, he said, adding that the FSC&RD maintains critical records for seed import, registration, and certification, making them better equipped to handle monitoring and enforcement responsibilities.
He suggested strengthening the FSC&RD for enforcement instead of shifting the responsibility to those who lack infrastructure and requisite training.
CropLife Pakistan Association (CLPA) is an organization representing the plant science industry. Its member companies are making efforts for food security, adapting to and mitigating climate change, and protecting biodiversity.
It believes that growers need access to the latest technologies, tools, and knowledge to achieve greater productivity, whilst also keeping up with the harsh reality of climate change. CropLife International, through its member Companies, is proud to play a pivotal role in the areas of Seed, Crop Protection, Fertilizers, Precision Agriculture Tools and Biotechnology, allowing Pakistani farmers to access these solutions for the overall benefit of the agriculture sector.
