RECORDER REPORT

LAHORE: The Secretary Agriculture Punjab has convened an important meeting of all the stakeholders of seed sector today at the agriculture house to develop a mechanism for reducing dependency on importing seeds for different crops.

Sources in the department told Business Recorder here on Monday that although use of hybrid seeds in Pakistan is increasing day by day for raising crops like maize, sunflower, and few vegetable crops but there is need for domestic hybrid seed production in the country. There is a need for evaluating feasibility of production of hybrid seeds in the country along with cost benefit prospects. Over-dependence on heavy imports of hybrid seeds has put seed security of Pakistan on fragile grounds, sometimes imported seeds are not adapted to local environment and result in crop failures, cost of imported hybrid seeds is high and lot of foreign exchange is spent on seed imports.

Sources said that the agenda of the meeting is to discuss seed import issues, technology transfer for seed production, issues being faced in local seed production and to develop some way forward for reducing dependency on imported seed.