CropLife concerned over proposed delegation of seed inspector’s powers to agri extension dept

LAHORE: CropLife Pakistan Association has expressed serious concerns over the proposed delegation of seed inspector powers to the provincial agriculture extension department.

Executive Director CropLife Muhammad Rashid while talking to media on Saturday said that the proposal of delegating seed inspector powers to provincial agriculture extension department, if implemented, would have far-reaching and detrimental consequences for Pakistan’s agricultural / seed sector.

The Federal Seed Certification & Registration Department (FSC&RD) is the central authority responsible for maintaining the integrity of the seed certification system in Pakistan, and devolving these functions to provincial governments would disrupt international practices and hinder the introduction of high-yielding, climate-resilient, and disease-resistant modern seeds and technologies.

CropLife’s concerns regarding this proposal include that the provincial governments lack the requisite infrastructure and trained human resources to effectively monitor and enforce seed regulations.

For instance, seed testing laboratory plays a pivotal role in seed law enforcement and seed exports, a capacity lacking with provincial government. The only International Seed Testing Authority (ISTA) certified laboratory in Pakistan is with FSC&RD in Islamabad.

He further said that the provincial agriculture officers are neither technically qualified nor experienced in seed monitoring activities, which would compromise the integrity of the seed monitoring / certification system.

Furthermore, Agriculture Extension Department in Punjab is already overwhelmed with responsibilities in addition to their primary job of educating farmers, including those of fertilizer inspector, cotton inspector and price magisterial responsibility, serving no direct benefit to farmers or agricultural productivity. They should rather focus on farmer education and advisory services than policing seed sector.

CropLife officials further said that the FSC&RD maintains critical records for seed import, registration, and certification, making them better equipped to handle monitoring and enforcement responsibilities.

Ministry of National Food Security & Research (MNFS&R) and the National Seed Development and Regulatory Authority (NSDRA) should strengthen the Federal Seed Certification & Registration Department for enforcement rather shifting the responsibility to people who lack infrastructure and requisite training, he demanded.

CropLife Pakistan Association (CLPA) is an organization representing the plant science industry.

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