Expensive seeds

The Pakistan Hi-Tech Hybrid Seed Association (PHHSA) has warned that recently-imposed sales taxes are likely to increase seed prices in the country by 25 percent, forcing farmers to use traditional uncertified low-yield seeds. Similarly, the imposition of tax has badly affected the country’s nascent hybrid seed industry, but it will ultimately create problems for farmers who are already facing a shortage of fertilisers.

It should be noted that the development of hybrid rice varieties and their successful cultivation in Sindh and Punjab have doubled paddy crop production over the last 11 years. Also, China and India have tripled their cotton production by producing hybrid BT cotton varieties. It is predicted that the cultivation of certified wheat seeds can lead to a 15 percent increase in cereal production. The timely promotion of maize hybrid seeds has increased corn crop production from six million tonnes to eight million tonnes. There is a strong need to withdraw GST on seeds as such levies could only lead to a significant reduction in the production of raw materials.

Khan Faraz

Peshawar