Pak-China hybrid rice drive starts

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC), in partnership with China's hybrid rice seeds research organisation, has set off a drive to spur cultivation of hybrid seed across the paddy zones of the country for boosting productivity, profitability, and export surplus, an official said on Friday. “Both countries have decided to work together for conducting joint awareness programmes to adopt hybrid rice seeds,” an official associated with PARC told Associated Press of Pakistan (APP). “The Chinese scientists are scheduled to train 30 Pakistani agronomists, selected from all the four provinces.” Besides, the official said, they would also educate the members of the provincial field extension departments on hybrid rice seed cultivation. “They will also organise road shows and field visits across the rice-growing areas to address the issues and challenges facing the promotion of hybrid seed,” the official said. —