Islamabad: October 03, 2023: The federal government has urged for the implementation uniform regulatory regime across all crop varieties to improve the quality seed system in Pakistan.
Caretaker Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research, Dr. Kausar Abdullah Malik chaired a meeting on the Seed System of Pakistan and reviewed its challenges and future prospects at Islamabad.
The meeting was attended by all the main stakeholders of the Seed Sector from all over Pakistan. The country Chief of The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Pakistan presented the salient points of the recently launched documents on the National Seed Sector: Prospects and Challenges.
The report highlighted that the regulatory system in Pakistan is improving but due to weak enforcement, it is unable to attract foreign companies in the seed sector. Moreover, the national breeders’ intellectual property right is being pirated.
The Seed Amendment Act of 2015 liberalized the seed sector resulting in mushroom growth of domestic private seed companies. The extensive consultation was carried out to streamline the seed sector by using advanced genomic technologies as well as of IT system for transparency.
The Ministry of National Food Security & Research has already launched the Trace & Track System for wheat crops which is from farm to farmer.
Dr. Kausar Malik said that the government is committed to uplifting agro-based industry in the country as the solution to all our economic woes lies in the development of the agriculture sector. He further said that there is a need for a uniform regulatory regime across all crop varieties to encourage & improve the seed system in Pakistan.
It has been observed that poor seed quality and widespread sale of unapproved varieties result in low yields. Currently, there is a large gap of 66 percent between the supply and demand of certified seeds in the country.
‘’We should also develop a National Seed Policy, strategy, and a plan for implementation to get long-term positive results with consensus’’, he added.
The public-private dialogue is necessary to optimize the seed supply system. The increase in public sector investment and incentivizing the private sector to invest in R&D will bring good results for the industry.
The meeting also discussed the issues related to biotech seeds and resolved to settle this in compliance with national and international rules. Moreover, the principle of history of safe use will also be included in the approval process.
