Agriculture experts warn of deepening crises of food insecurity

FAISALABAD: Agricultural experts warned of deepening crises of food insecurity if quality seeds were not ensured to the farmers.

They said that it was imperative to bring quality seeds, having resilient against climate change and other challenges at the doorsteps of common farmers under the public-private partnership.

They addressed the third Pakistan Seed Congress at the Centre for Advanced Studies in Agriculture and Food Security, University of Agriculture Faisalabad.UAF Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan said that every year the country imported agricultural products worth 10 billion dollars. He said that the model of corn comprising hybrid seed technology etc had yielded many times increment in the production. He said we could break the stagnation in other crops by adopting the modern trends. He said that wheat production per acre is limited to only 30 maunds while the progressive farmers were getting 60 to 70 maunds. He said that the UAF was introducing soybeans, climate resistant wheat, high yielding sugarcane, cotton and other commodities, which would create a new chapter of agricultural prosperity.

Chairperson National Seed Development and Regulatory Authority Dr Asif Ali said that if production of 30 mounds of wheat per acre was made possible to achieve 50 mounds of production, the current 9 million hectares of wheat cultivation would be reduced to 6.5 million hectares so that the remaining 2.5 million hectares of agricultural land can be used for the production of other crops.

He said that by promoting public-private partnership, betterment could be ensured for the production and delivery of quality seeds. He said that due to hybrid seed, India was getting 31.8 million bales of cotton while Pakistan is getting up to 8.35 million bales.

He said that all possible measures were 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 seeds ensured high production. He said that the Seed Centre had been established in the university with the cooperation of the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology under which model seed research and outreach stations will be established in Balochistan and Upper Punjab. He said that the production of crops was facing stagnant. To break the stagnation, viable and innovative trends would have to be developed, he added. He said that the two new varieties of sugarcane developed by the UAF would be a milestone in improving the economic condition of the farmers. Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department Director General Mohammad Azim Khan said that we were 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 were the need of the hour. He said that new ways of prosperity were opened in developed countries under the public-private model and we also had to build this system on a strong footing.