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Thursday March 28, 2024

Farmers urged to use good quality seeds for high yield

By Bureau report
March 18, 2023

PESHAWAR: Experts here on Friday asked the farmers to use good quality and approved varieties of seed to achieve a high yield.

They were speaking at an event at the Nuclear Institute for Food & Agriculture (NIFA), Peshawar, an establishment of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), Islamabad.

The event was organised to create awareness and disseminate NIFA’s developed technologies/crop varieties to the farming communities/end users.

Director, NIFA Dr Gul Sanat Shah, Chief Guest Dr Hayatullah Tareen, Director Seed, Federal Seed Certification & Registration Department, Abdul Qayyum, Director (Seed), Agricultural Extension, Department, KP other dignitaries and farmers were present on occasion at NIFA, Peshawar.

Dr Hayatullah Tareen, Director, Seed Act Enforcement, Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department advised the growers to use quality seed of NIFA’s approved varieties of wheat, oilseed Brassica and pulses for getting

better yield.

He urged representatives from seed industry to come forward and take merit-based decisions to procure and multiply NIFA’s approved varieties to produce a huge amount of quality seeds in the province.

He asked the private sector to sell trustworthy seed material and nurseries duly verified /certified by the FSC & RD. He added that the seed inspectors had been instructed to search out the fake seed dealers and companies in their respective areas and ban them as per law.

Dr Gul Sanat Shah briefed the participants about the achievements of PAEC in general and particularly NIFA in the field of food and agriculture.

He explained the scientific contributions/ achievements of NIFA in high yielding crops varieties development, soil and environmental sciences, plant protection and medical entomology, reduction of post-harvest losses/ preparation of a variety of food products and their long-term preservation through

applications of radiation technology.

He appreciated the cooperation of seed certification department, agricultural extension and private seed companies in provision and multiplication of NIFA’s approved crops’ varieties to the growers in KP through legal business.

He asked the growers/ seed companies for seed demand of NIFA’s Crop Varieties and in return provide data about its cultivation area, location, production and details of sale of multiplied seed to NIFA.

He called for the development of clear and viable policy at national level for production and distribution of quality seed among farmers to enhance food productivity.

Sher Ali Khan, President KP Seed Industry Association, appreciated the efforts of NIFA’s breeders for achieving high yielding varieties of crop plants.

He assured the association’s assistance in producing quality seed of these varieties on their farms and further dissemination to growers in the province. He requested Director NIFA for the development of hybrid vegetable seed.

Abdul Qayyum, Director (Seed), Agricultural Extension, Department, KP, Muhammad Khan, Principal Agricultural Services Academy, Peshawar and other dignitaries from provincial agriculture appreciated the research endeavors, varieties/ technologies developed by NIFA’s Scientists.

They advised growers and private seed companies to create liaison with NIFA for effective solutions to the problems being faced by them.

Director NIFA presented shields to the chief guest and other high-ups from the provincial agricultural setup. Dr Roshan Zamir, DCS/ Head Plant Breeding & Genetics Division, NIFA presented vote of thanks to the chief guest, all dignitaries from the provincial agricultural sector, farmers and all NIFA employees for making the event successful.